"I have to get dressed up in this again? It's so ugly!" Candace "call me Candy or I'll pout" Murphy groaned. She held up the ratty green and red monstrosity for me to see. Her elf costume, of course, even more tattered than last year. It was awful, there was no doubt about it, but of course at Christmas it's Santa Claus who gets the glamour, not the elves. There was nothing to do but commiserate with her.

"Sorry. That's horrible."

"I know." She slumped to a chair to take a closer look at the worn piece of clothing and groaned dramatically. "There are holes in it!" she wailed, poking her finger up through one of them as proof. "How am I supposed to wear this for the next three weeks?"

"Maybe it's not so noticeable once you're wearing it?"

"Bobby! I couldn't wear this. Not in public!" She looked at me in annoyance, almost accusing me with her angry stare. "At least you have a good costume."

She was right, of course. Like I said, the Santa suit always looked good, and I looked good wearing it, even though it took three layers of padding, in addition to a couple bulky sweaters, before I finally had Santa's build.

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "I suppose I could talk to Helen about it. Maybe she can figure something out." Candy looked at me hopefully for a moment before shaking her head.

"Doubtful," she sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. "We go on in thirty minutes."

As if on cue, Helen Martin, head of Human Resources for Taylor's Department Store, poked her head around the door.

"Robert? Candace? Everybody decent in there?" she called out loudly, making sure we could see her eyes were scrunched tightly closed.

"Wait!" I yelled. "We're both completely naked!" Helen jumped, backing out of the doorway as quickly as possible. "I'm just kidding, Helen. All clear," I laughed. "Come on in."

Helen grinned nervously, shaking her head as she entered the room. Her smile faded as she saw Candy.

"Candace?" she queried. "Why aren't you dressed? You two go on in half an hour." She stopped suddenly, as if noticing Candy's expression for the first time. "What's wrong, honey?"

"This," Candy groused, holding up the costume.

"Oh my!" Helen frowned, reaching out to run her fingers over the threadbare material. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know. Mice must have gotten into the costume room during the summer. Is it... is it still wearable?"

"Maybe, but I kind of doubt it." Candace didn't look too optimistic. "I haven't tried yet, but there are little holes everywhere, and it's coming apart at the seams, literally."

Helen seemed almost apoplectic with grief as she saw the costume. "Do the best you can, okay? I'll see if we can't get a replacement rushed here by Monday, but..."

"Monday? That's three days away," Candy said in surprise, obviously less than thrilled about the possibility of being forced to wear the costume through the weekend.

"I know... I know. But I don't think I can do any better than that." Mrs. Martin looked truly upset at the sudden crisis, but was trying to make the best of it.

"Okay," Candy replied dejectedly.

"Very good." Helen clapped her hands. "That's the Christmas spirit. Come along, Robert," she called, gesturing for me to follow her out into the hallway. "Let's give Candace a bit of privacy, shall we?" I considered mentioning that Candy and I had changed into our costumes in the same tiny dressing room for the past three Christmas seasons, but didn't know if Mrs. Martin's heart would have been able to survive the scandal.

"Good luck," I said as the two of us left Candy behind to change. She didn't look hopeful.

My name is Robert Carlson, but I prefer to be called Bobby. As far as I'm concerned, Robert is my father. I've been playing Santa Claus at Taylor's Department Store for the last six years, ever since I graduated high school. While I was in college the job was little more than a way to earn a few extra bucks during my Christmas vacation, but over the last couple of years I found I really enjoyed it. It will never be a career, obviously, but there's just something special about having a little kid look up at me, all wide-eyed in wonder. It's the Santa suit, of course, but that look just gets me every time. I still remembered the first awe-struck child I greeted.

"Good afternoon, little girl," I said in my best, deepest Santa Claus voice, hoping the nerves didn't show. "What's your name?"

"Michelle," the girl answered in a tiny voice. I knew who she was, of course. My older brother Kyle and his wife Melissa were standing behind the ropes, watching their daughter tell her uncle what she wanted for Christmas. She had no idea it was me, thankfully.

"What would you like for Christmas, Michelle?" I asked as I helped her onto my lap.

"A reindeer," she answered, "or a pony." It took a concerted effort on my part to not burst into laughter at her request. I was fairly sure her parents wouldn't appreciate a pony running through their two-bedroom apartment. And a reindeer was definitely out of the question.

"Marvelous," I said. "Although... I'm not sure I have any extra reindeer at the North Pole." Michelle's face fell at this. She appeared almost ready to cry and I hurried to continue. "I'm sure we have something wonderful for you in Santa's workshop though."

"Really?" she said, her face shining with excitement. "As good as a pony?"

"Certainly," I laughed. "My elves just love making presents for little boys and girls like you."

"Really?" she said again.

"Of course!" I laughed, giving my best "ho ho ho!" to her delight. "That's what elves do!"

To my surprise my niece looked less than sure about that as she leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"I don't think that elf likes little kids," she said, pointing with her finger to the line of waiting children, and I had to agree. My helper elf that day was a snot-nosed punk named Jeff who seemed more likely to punch one of the kids than to hand them their candy cane. I was keeping my eye on him. Unfortunately his last name was Taylor, as in Taylor Department Stores and I doubted there was anything I could do to get the boss' son fired. Not on the first day, at least.

"He doesn't make the toys," I grinned, winking conspiratorially to a suddenly curious Michelle.

"Really? What does he do?"

"He cleans up after Rudolph, and Dasher and Dancer and Prancer... " I said, breaking into an honest-to-goodness belly laugh. I knew by her expression the exact moment Michelle realized exactly what that job entailed. Her family kept two dogs, Sid and Nancy, and even though they were fairly well-trained, Michelle knew what "cleaning up" meant.

Looking out over the crowd I saw more than the normal scowl on Jeff's face. I realized I was taking an inordinately long amount of time with Michelle and lifted her off my lap and onto the ground.

"Thank you, Santa," she said as my brother strode up to take her home. Kyle mouthed "thank you" at me as well. I gave my biggest Santa Claus wave before turning to the line of children formed to my left.

"Who's next?" I asked.

"Are you ready yet?" Helen called out to Candy, who was still in the dressing room. The two of us had been waiting in the tiny hallway, me on a bench and the near-frantic Helen pacing back and forth, while Candy changed into her costume. I glanced at the wall clock, which was steadily ticking its way to the moment when Santa and his helpers (assuming the costume was okay), would make their grand entrance. We had ten minutes until "show time."

"Gimme a minute!" Candy sounded nervous, panicked and upset, even through the changing room door.

"Can I come in?" I asked, lightly rapping my knuckles against the door. There was no response, so I knocked again. "Candy? Can I come in?" There was the sound of movement from inside and at last the doorknob turned as Candy unlocked it.

"Robert?" Helen asked, clearly scandalized at the mere idea of me walking into the changing room before Candy was "decent."

"It's okay," I smiled. "Why don't you go check on the kids. I'm sure we'll be out in a minute or two."

Helen looked doubtful, but gulped as she nodded and spun on her heel and strode down the hall. I turned back to the dressing room, grinning as I entered.

"Ho ho ho!" I called out as I walked into the room. "How's my naked little elf doing this morning?"

"Shut up," Candy blushed, grinning in spite of herself. She wasn't naked, to my slight disappointment. The elf costume, as always, left little to the imagination, but seemed to be even more revealing this year. The green and red cloth appeared to have shrunk during the previous eleven months and was now stretched tightly over Candy's breasts and round little butt as she spun in a circle for me.

"Nice," I said truthfully, feeling my own Santa suit getting noticeably tighter somewhere immediately south of the shiny buckle on my big black leather Santa belt.

Candy, dressed up in her elf costume, had been one of my favorite sexual fantasies ever since we started working together during the Christmas season three years ago. At the time I was finishing my senior year of college and Candy, four years my junior, was in her senior year of high school. There had been a definite attraction between the two of us, I was certain of it, but with me going to school two states away and Candy's future uncertain - as well as being in high school at the time - neither of us acted on it.

As I watched Candy smoothing the costume over her firm backside, I felt any hesitancy I may have had beginning to crumble. I wasn't sure what her reasons had been for never making a move on me, but I resolved right then that this Christmas things would be different. I think Candy knew exactly what she was doing and what it did to me, for when I finally allowed my eyes to move up her body I found Candy staring directly at me, a tiny smile on her lips.

"It's okay?" she said, one eyebrow arched in amusement.

"Ah, yes," I mumbled, embarrassed at being caught looking. "It's very okay, even though it seems to have... shrunk a bit," I stammered. Dammit! I was never this tongue-tied around her. But of course I'd never been caught staring at her ass before.

"Thanks," Candy grinned. She spun to head out to the sales floor, giving an exaggerated sway to her hips that I found mesmerizing. "Coming?" she called over her shoulder, a knowing smirk on her face. Caught again!

I hurried to catch up.

"How'd it go?" my father wanted to know when I trudged in the house later that night. I didn't actually live with my parents, but was spending some time with them over the Thanksgiving weekend. My family, which consists of my mother and father, along with my younger siblings Caleb and Mary, had traditionally gone out Christmas shopping the Friday following Thanksgiving. Ever since I started playing Santa, however, that had changed. Now instead of spending my hours shopping I spent them sitting in a chair listening to children prattle on and on about what they wanted "me" to bring them for Christmas. I still enjoyed my family though, and sometimes regretted not being able to spend time together like we used to.

"It was okay." I paused at the kitchen table and grabbed a few cookies from a plate my mother had left out. "Busy. Thanks for letting me spend a couple nights. I wasn't looking forward to the drive back to my place." My father nodded in understanding. My apartment wasn't that far out of the way, but the drive was twenty minutes longer than I'd just made, so it felt a lot shorter.

"How were the kids?" my father asked.

"The greedy little bastards, you mean?" My father looked surprised at my question before I laughed to let him know I was joking. "Okay, I guess. I'm a little tired though. Can we talk in the morning?"

"Long day?" my father asked. I nodded. "See you in the morning then," he said.

I yawned as I turned to head up the stairs to "my" room. I slept in the guest room whenever I stayed over. When I was still living at home the room had actually been my bedroom, but my mother had converted it into her sewing room when I left for college. Except for a few pieces of furniture the room was completely different, and although my bed was still there, I still felt I was intruding.

I slipped under the covers, allowing my hand stray down to the lump in my shorts as I thought back on my day as Santa. It may have been my imagination, but it almost seemed that Candy was teasing me each time she bent down to give the children their "present" (in reality nothing more than a candy cane with a Taylor's Department Store ribbon wrapped around it and tied into a bow). If I wasn't seeing things, she was making sure I got a good look up her short elf skirt, and I certainly took advantage of the opportunity.

As I remembered the way the firm cheeks of her ass moved as she walked, I felt my cock beginning to stiffen in my shorts, helped along by my hand as I stroked up and down my length through my cotton briefs. Glancing at the door to make sure I'd closed and locked it, I reached down, pushing my shorts below my knees and freeing my erection.

Spitting into my hand, I grasped myself and slowly began stroking up and down my hard pole. My thoughts were of Candy and me, of course, in various positions and states of undress. In all of them, however, I found that I was wearing my Santa hat. Somehow I thought she would enjoy that.

In my fantasy, I was sitting in my Santa chair, exhausted from a day of promising presents to children and smiling for photographs. Candy and I were the last two people on the premises.

"Hey Santa," Candy said seductively as she sauntered to where I was sitting. In my mind Candy's elf costume had shrunk considerably, accenting her pert breasts and the cleft between her labia. I was drooling as she walked up beside me, her eyes on the obvious bulge in my pants, somehow visible even through the heavy red felt and extra padding. With a look of excitement in her eyes she reached down to stroke my cock. "Nice," she said.

"Are you ready to unwrap your present?" I asked as I thrust my hips up into her hand, putting more pressure on my erection. In real life my hand was a blur as I brought myself closer to orgasm, imagining Candy laughing as she tugged my Santa pants down over my hips. My erection slapped against the side of her face, but Candy didn't seem to mind.

"I want to suck it," she said, wrapping her fingers around my shaft and stroking me a few times before dipping her head down. Her pink lips opened and her tongue snaked out, bathing me with moisture as she licked around the crown of my cock. I let out a strangled cry as her lips opened wider and Candy engulfed my prick.

"Mmm..." she mumbled as she took almost my entire length into her mouth. I could feel her throat muscles loosening and the head of my prick slipped even further in until my pubic hair pressed against Candy's face.

"Holy shit," I gasped as I felt her throat ripple around my cock. Candy grinned up at me as best she was able before she backed away, slowly revealing my shaft, shiny with her saliva, until only the head of my prick was still in her mouth. He tongue lashed against the spongy tip for a moment, drawing another groan of appreciation from me, until she once again took my entire length into her mouth.

As Candy bobbed up and down my prick, I took the opportunity to reach down and cup her breasts in my hands. They were firm under my fingers, the rock-hard nipples poking out from under the green cloth and digging into my palms. I began to squeeze them, teasing at the turgid flesh, stroking her tits in time to Candy's sucking.

As I felt my real life orgasm quickly approaching, I fast-forwarded my fantasy to keep up the pace. Candy was now topless, her firm breasts swaying ever so slightly on her chest as she stroked my erection in her hands. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked up at me.

"I want you to come all over my tits," she said breathlessly, her hand a slippery blur on my shaft. I grunted in agreement as my own hand mirrored her actions. In my fantasy I erupted all over her breasts, coating them with my sticky semen, as I simultaneously exploded into a tissue I held close to the tip of my cock.

Tossing the sticky tissue into the trash can beside the bed, I pulled my shorts back up. My breathing slowly returned to normal as I huddled under the heavy blankets. Outside it was snowing and the howling wind kept me awake, my mind filled with thoughts of Candy and how I would behave around her the next time we worked together. Eventually I fell asleep.

"Bobby, wake up!" There was a pounding on my door and I jerked awake with a start. The knocking continued and my mother called through the door once more. "Bobby, are you up yet?"

"I'm up," I groaned, seeing by the clock on the sewing table that it was just after seven in the morning. "What the heck? Why so early?"

"Can I come in?" my mother asked.

"Guess so," I called back before I realized I was nearly naked beneath the bedclothes. "Hang on a second," I said as I jumped out of bed. I grabbed my slacks from the chair where I had deposited them the night before, but wasn't able to get completely dressed before the door opened.

"Oops! Sorry," my mother stammered. I shook my head and turned away as I finished zipping up the jeans.

"It's okay," I said, pulling a clean t-shirt over my head. Fully dressed, or at least now presentable, I turned to face her. "What's up?"

"The twins and I were going to hit the mall," she answered. "We were wondering if you wanted to join us."

"This early? I thought all the good sales were yesterday," I teased.

"Not all of them," my mom answered. "Carlson's is having a sale on sporting equipment and I know Caleb wanted a new baseball bat and glove, and Mary had mentioned hoping to see if the music store had the new CD by... what's that singer's name?"

"I know who you mean," I said. My sister Mary, for some reason, had taking a strong liking to whichever teen idol was on top of the charts that week. Disgusting, bubble-gum crap, if you asked me, but at least she kept her stereo low enough that I didn't have to listen to it. And besides, no one ever asked me, anyway.

"So, what do you say?" my mother asked. "We could always catch a movie when we're done shopping."

I thought about it for a moment. I really didn't have anything to do. I worked on Sunday, but for some reason the Santa rotation (there were three of us), had me off all day Saturday, which was fantastic. The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, but the weekend is always busy, and I was thankful I didn't work two long shifts in a row.

"Sure," I answered. "Why not?" I figured I might as well. It had been quite a while since I'd been able to hang out with my mom or the twins and I really didn't have anything else going on. "What's Dad doing today?" I asked.

"Oh, he's still working on getting the new offices ready." My mom shook her head in mock disgust, but her smile gave away her true feelings; it was obvious she was proud of my dad. He had been, at one time, the youngest full partner in one of the city's most prestigious law firms, and with the recent passing of the founder of the firm my father found himself taking over a large share of the old man's duties.

I certainly envied him his lawyer's salary, which dwarfed the paychecks I received working as a teacher's aide, but I didn't begrudge him the hours, that was for sure.

"Well, his loss," I shrugged. "Now, if you'll get out of here, I'll take a shower and get dressed for real."

"I'm going, I'm going," my mother laughed. "Breakfast in twenty minutes?"

I looked at myself in the mirror, checking out the state of my stubble and the tangles in my hair, along with the acrid taste in my mouth.

"Better make it thirty."

It took me forty minutes to get ready, as it turned out, although no one seemed to mind too much. My brother and sister, Caleb and Mary (the twins), were still seated at the table, reading the comics to each other and laughing hysterically.

"Morning," I said as I sat down to my grapefruit and cereal.

"Morning," the twins answered in unison, not looking up from their reading.

It never ceased to amaze me how in sync the two of them appeared, and I wondered what would happen in a couple years if they decided to attend different colleges. Somehow I doubted that would ever happen, but it was a possibility. Mary was hoping to become a nurse and Caleb had talked about going into one of the sciences - botany or biology or something - and I wasn't sure if any of the colleges in this part of the state would be able to accommodate them both.

"Not so much sugar," my mother scolded as I heaped a third spoonful over my grapefruit half.

"Too sour this early in the morning. You know that," I replied. I didn't need the sugar. I knew that. But it was somewhat of a tradition the two of us had. My mother chastised me for the heaping piles of sugar I ingested with my grapefruit, and I ignored her. It seemed to work out well enough.

"Well, hurry up then." She shook her head, sitting down to her cup of coffee and toast, smothered in all-natural preserves. No sugar for her, I thought. At least none that isn't already in the fruit to start with. I wondered how my teaspoons of sugar compared to her crushed and pressed strawberries, but decided the effort wasn't worth it.

The two of us ate in silence, relatively speaking, our morning meal interrupted only by the peals of laugher from the twins on the other side of the table. Eventually however, my mother picked up her plate and drained the last of her orange juice.

"Everyone ready?" she asked. I stood also as the twins folded the paper and placed it in the middle the table. The four of us headed out into the cold. I was happy for the tall collar on my jacket and zipped it all the way up, partially obscuring my face from the bitter wind.

"Such a baby," my sister Mary laughed. She was the hot body of the family, by which I mean no matter how cold it was, she always complained of being too warm. Today for instance, my mother and I (and even Caleb, who usually sided with Mary on almost everything), were bundled up against the abnormally cold, late-November air. Mary, on the other hand, was dressed in nothing more than a fairly flimsy skirt and shirt. It was a long-sleeved shirt, but it appeared to have roughly the same thickness as a t-shirt. I wasn't sure how she could stand it.

We piled into the car, my mother sharing the front seat with me while the twins took the back. I turned heat up as high as it would go, immediately drawing a complaint from Mary, but I simply turned and stuck out my tongue.

"Open a window," I laughed. To my surprise she did, but that lasted for all of ten seconds before Mom made us compromise. The window was rolled back up and the heat was turned down a bit. I zipped my coat back up for the remainder of the ride to the mall.

"Well, we're certainly not first," Caleb remarked from the back seat as we pulled into the large and crowded parking lot. We eventually found a parking place somewhere in one of the outer rings of parking and trudged into the mall.

To say our shopping experience was less than ideal would be an understatement. The crowds at the mall were twice as big, if not more, than what I'd seen the day before at Taylor's Department Store. As we ate dinner at one of the food court tables, I happened to glance over to the holiday display, and immediately a wide grin split my face, judging by the reactions from Caleb and Mary.

"What?" Mary said at last, turning to look at what was making me smile.

"Nothing," I said. "Just looking at the long line to sit on Santa's lap, and glad I'm not in costume today."

"Whatever," Mary shrugged. "It's not that funny."

It wasn't, she was right, but that wasn't really what had made me laugh. I had seen the mall's Santa almost buried under a tangle of arms and legs as a large group of teens, far too old to believe in Santa Claus, piled on top of him, which reminded me of a day a few years ago when I was on the job.

"How much longer do we have to stand up here?" Jeff asked me, his already nasal voice turning dangerously close to a whine. If it wasn't for the fact that he was related to the owners of the store, I knew he would have been out on his ass long before now. He was the worst elf I'd ever seen, and I was thankful that the shift was almost over.

"Another hour," I said under my breath while the little boy sitting on my knee described in painstaking detail the exact make and model of the fifteen or twenty toy cars he wanted me to bring him for Christmas. I'm sure my eyes glazed over a bit as the boy went over the color and number of doors, but I had developed the skill of nodding and interjecting a "ho ho ho" into any silence I heard, and when the child left he seemed satisfied, so I was happy.

I'll admit I wasn't paying attention to who was next in line, so it was a big surprise when I felt myself suddenly being attacked from all sides.

"Smile, Santa!" I heard and there was a flash of light from a camera behind the velvet ropes as I was smothered. I looked around me, seeing nothing but long tan legs jutting out from short skirts and breasts almost bursting out of tiny shirts. What was going on? I focused a bit more and realized that a group of six or seven high school girls had skipped the line and were now pestering me from all sides, telling me in their high-pitched, chatty voices exactly what they wanted for Christmas.

"I want a new cell phone..."

"I want a new stereo..."

"I want a new car..."

"I want Brad Pitt..."

I just rolled my eyes as the girls traded off sitting in my lap, squirming a bit more than necessary and leaning in to whisper their gift "requests" in my ear. As the girls pressed pair after pair of soft tits into my chest I felt myself blushing as I realized my cock - damn traitor! - was beginning to come to life. Then to my horror, and that of many of the parents in the line, I saw Jeff, weasel that he is, begin to mock me with crude arm motions, as if her was jacking an imaginary, enormous prick jutting out between his legs.

"Sorry ladies," I said, attempting to stand, much to the girls' dismay. "Santa has to talk to some younger children."

"Okay," one of the girls pouted, her lower lip sticking out to prove her displeasure. "Just as long as you come visit me this Christmas."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, somewhat distracted by a father who seemed to be ready to rip my elf a new asshole. "I'm sure I'll come on Christmas Eve."

It wasn't until the girls broke out in another round of laughter that I realized what I had said, and I felt myself blush anew as the girls left, laughing hysterically. Hoping to smooth over any emotions that might be boiling over because of the actions of my elf, I stood and moved as quickly as I could to the front of the line.

"Why don't you head out a little early, Mr. Elf," I said to Jeff, shooting daggers at him with my eyes. "I think it's time for you to be heading back to the North Pole, don't you?"

"Whatever," Jeff shrugged, taking off his cap and stalking away.

I whispered an apology to the angry father, taking his daughter by the hand and carefully placing her on my knee as she started reciting her gift list in my ear. In truth, the crowd of people was larger than it had been all day, but after Jeff's behavior I felt it was safer to brave the last hour on my own, even if I would have to hand out the candy canes.

I was somewhat surprised then, a few children later, to find that every one of the kids coming up to me was already clutching one of the red and green striped candy canes in their hands. I glanced over to the rope line fearing Jeff had come back for some reason, but saw only a girl I didn't recognize. She wasn't in any kind of costume, but was efficiently controlling the crowd, a skill Jeff had never acquired during his time as an elf.

Finally the shift ended and I made my way to the girl, who was waving goodbye to the last child of the evening.

"Santa," I said, sticking out my hand in greeting. The girl smiled wearily before extending her own.

"Candy," she replied. "Don't laugh! It's not my real name, but it's way better than Candace."

"Candy it is then," I smiled. "You can call me Bobby; Santa is just my stage name, you know."

"Gotcha," Candy replied. "I'm sorry. I hope you don't mind... I saw what the elf did, and the crowd was getting kind of out of control, so I just jumped in," she said. She almost appeared worried, as if she might have broken some North Pole "code of conduct." If that was the case, I certainly wasn't aware of it, and wasn't going to complain if she had.

"No worries from me," I said. "And I should thank you for it. It helped me out a lot."

"Good" she said. "It was fun."

"Yeah?" I asked in amazement. "Jeff never really thought so."

"Is Jeff the elf? she asked. I nodded. "Jeff's an asshole," the girl said venomously. "Sorry," she blushed when she saw the look on my face.

"You two go way back, I take it?"

"No, but I saw what he did."

"Were you in line?" I asked.

"With my little sister," Candy replied.

"Which one was she?" I wanted to know.

"You'll remember her. She wanted the dump truck."

"Her?" I laughed. It had shocked me when this cute little girl, no more than three or four, had climbed onto my lap and requested a whole slew of demolition equipment.

"That's her," Candy smiled. "Our father builds houses."

"I understand." I nodded. "Well anyway, I'm all hot and sticky in this costume, but I just wanted to make sure I thanked you properly," I said, pulling off the red Santa hat as I spoke.

"It was no problem," she answered. "Like I said, I had fun."

"Yeah? How about you do it tomorrow too?" I asked. "Jeff was the only elf who worked nights this Christmas, and I doubt he'll be back after tonight. I know of at least two parents who were going to complain."

"More like ten," Candy giggled. "I had some interesting chats with the parents this evening."

"No shit?" I said, covering my mouth with my gloved hand as I heard myself swear. "Oops... sorry."

"No shit," Candy laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Well, you're my kind of girl," I said. "And seriously, you should talk to Helen. She does most of the hiring and I bet she'd be thrilled to have you." The conversation quickly tailed off and the two of us parted ways - Candy to her car and me to the changing room. The next evening when I went into work I had a quick conversation with Helen, who sadly informed me that Jeff would not be able to be my elf, but she had "fortunately" been able to hire a great new replacement.

I grinned in recognition as I walked out into the North Pole area of the department store, seeing Jeff's replacement standing at the head of a long line of excited children.

"Hey Santa," my new elf said as I sat down in my chair. "Long time no see." It was Candy of course.

That all happened three years ago. She had been "my" elf, and I think maybe I'd been falling in love with her, ever since.

This all flashed through my mind as my mother and siblings ate lunch. After the we had all finished eating, Caleb and Mary decided they'd had enough shopping for the day and, although it was only a bit after two o'clock in the afternoon, said they were going to head home.

"We're not going to see a movie?" I asked, a bit shocked at that notion. My younger siblings were notorious, at least in our household, for being voracious movie watchers, and the idea that they were going to pass up an opportunity to watch a free movie amazed me.

"Nah," Mary responded while Caleb shook his head.

"If you want to stay and watch something, I could come back and pick you up," my mom offered. I felt a bit foolish at the idea of having my mother shuttle me back and forth between the mall and home, almost as if I was in Junior High again, and gave up on the idea of a movie. I'd just have to be happy with a book and maybe some television.

"That's okay, I guess," I sighed, perhaps more melodramatically than I'd intended. "It's fine." My mother, sensing my discomfort, but also my desire to see a movie, immediately acted as if the twenty minute drive each way was no big deal.

"It wouldn't be a bother," she said, which started another round of back-and-forth between us as we debated the merits of seeing a movie or not.

As we were discussing this I felt someone walk up behind me. I was turning to see who my brother and sister were looking at when the person started talking.

"Hey Santa," Candy said as I looked up at her. "How's it going? You here checking out the competition?"

My mother and siblings gave me a confused look and I was forced to explain my relationship with this strange girl.

"She's my elf," I grinned.

"Actually I prefer to think of myself as Santa's little helper," Candy said. "I don't really have elf ears, you know." Candy pulled up her stocking cap to show that she deed indeed have distinctly non-elvish ears.

For some reason this cracked up Caleb and Mary and soon the five us were all laughing, although I'm not sure any of the rest of us knew the real reason. After a bit, and at some unspoken signal both my brother and sister stopped their laughter, just as Candy turned to me.

"I should be going," she said as she stood. "I was supposed to meet a friend to see a movie, but she just called and can't make it."

"Heading home then?" I asked.

"No, I already bought tickets so at least I'm going to see the movie, even thought I don't think the theater will take back the other one. Oh well." I knew from our previous discussions that Candy lived only a couple miles from my parents' house and was beginning to formulate a plan to somehow take advantage of this when Caleb broke in.

"What are you seeing?" he asked. When Candy answered it was but a moment before Mary interrupted.

"Could you give Bobby a ride home?" she said.

"Oh, were you going to see a movie too?" Candy asked in surprise. I hemmed and hawed for a moment before admitting that I had been wanting to see something, although it hadn't looked like it was going to work out.

"If it's okay with you, I suppose I might as well buy your leftover ticket," I offered.

"I don't know," Candy smiled. "Why would I want to go with you?" she teased, much to my mother's amusement.

"Because I'll buy you popcorn and soda if you do," I said.

"And if I don't?" she teased.

"Then I'll buy my own ticket and I won't help you out of your seat when your feet get stuck to the floor," I laughed.

"I guess I better, then," she agreed.

"Well, that's settled," said Mary.

"Yeah, can we go home now?" Caleb wanted to know. We were all laughing at the sudden turn of events, the laughter from my mother and siblings growing even louder when Candy realized "our" movie was going to start in five minutes and grabbed my hand to pull me from the table.

"Come on," she pleaded. "We're going to miss out on the previews and you won't have any time to get me any snacks!"

"See you later," I called over my shoulder to my amused family as Candy dragged me away.

"Don't you work today?" I asked Candy. I was off the schedule since we had two other "actors" portraying Santa, but hadn't thought we were very well-staffed as far as elves, or "little helpers," if Candy preferred that designation.

"I was supposed to, but I traded with Larry," she replied.

"Why?" I asked. At my question Candy blushed slightly, remaining quiet. "What?" I asked again. "Why'd you trade? Something going on that I don't know about?"

"Never mind," Candy said, dismissing my question with a quick shake of her head. I was momentarily distracted by her long curly hair as it fanned out behind her. We were standing in front of the theater now, the floor-to-ceiling windows letting in the early afternoon sunlight, which glinted off her auburn hair.

"Oh. Um... okay," I answered. "Just checking if there was something I needed to know."

"It's cool," she grinned, catching my look. "Come on, let's get in line for snacks." She dragged me to the concession counter before stopping short. "Are you even hungry?" she asked. "I mean, you did just finish eating."

"Nah, it's fine," I said, enjoying the feel of her hand in mine. "What do you want?"

We continued holding hands while standing in line. and I felt we were both quite aware that our friendship, which had never before gone beyond quick hugs and friendly waves goodbye, had suddenly shifted to some other gear. Neither of us said anything, however, and we were forced to let go of the other's hand when our food arrived. Candy took the large tub of popcorn and I grabbed the soda and a couple boxes of candy.

"Where do you want to sit?" Candy whispered as we entered the darkened theater. Despite our best efforts, the two of us had arrived during the middle of the previews and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting.

"Doesn't matter. Why don't you pick?" Candy nodded and led the way to an empty row, only a few feet from the back of the theater. She sat down, folding back the arm rest between our seats and sliding next to me as I sat down.

"Easier for you to reach the popcorn," she said as she pressed herself against me. Once again I was distracted by her hair as it brushed against the side of my face. I laughed, spitting out a few strands I had inadvertently taken in along with a mouthful of popcorn.

"Sorry," she grinned, looking anything but apologetic as she handed me the popcorn in order to pull her hair back out of the way. When she leaned back against me the only thing I could feel was the smooth warm skin of her cheek pressed against my own.

"Much better." I twisted my head and impulsively gave her a tiny kiss on the cheek.

"Bobby," she exclaimed quietly, her eyebrow arched in surprise. "Getting kind of fresh, aren't we?" She was obviously teasing, but I still felt the heat rising in my cheeks.

"Well, I did buy the snacks," I said jokingly. Candy appeared to think it over for a bit, biting down on her lower lip as she pretended to ponder what I'd said. To my surprise she grabbed my right arm and carefully - so as not to spill any of the soda - pulled it up and over her, finally bringing it to rest on her shoulder.

"Much better," she grinned, leaning more fully against me.

"Oh, easier for you to get a drink of soda now?" I teased, holding the straw up to her lips. She smiled and took a long sip, my cock giving a lurch in my jeans as her lips did things to the straw I didn't think were legal in public.

"Or something," she winked.

My heart was beating madly in my chest and I was surprised the thumping wasn't audible in the quiet theater as the no smoking, no cell phones, no talking slide announced the beginning of the movie.

As the opening credits rolled I realized the film was one I'd already seen. I tuned out what was happening on the screen and concentrated on taking in everything I could about Candy. Her scent, her touch, everything. I couldn't be certain what she was feeling, but everything about this "date" just felt right. I didn't want to assume anything, but didn't want to rule out anything either.

It seemed as though Candy might be as preoccupied as I was, as her hand, once the two of us finished off the popcorn, dropped immediately to my leg. As events took their course on the screen in front of us, Candy would accentuate bits of dialogue or funny moments with little taps of her fingers. It almost seemed as if she was deliberately, but cautiously, making her way up my leg to my already erect cock. I glanced down slowly, not wanting to draw undue attention, and was mortified to see the rather visible lump in my jeans. If Candy would have been looking, the length of my cock was clearly outlined beneath the blue denim.

If it was her intent to drive me crazy, Candy did it with absolute perfection. Her fingers, inching ever closer to my erection, had my heart beating a mile a minute and the side of her breast, with each breath she took, seemed to press more insistently against my hand. I was flexing my fingers, preparing to turn my wrist and find out if all this was intentional, when the theater lights went up, the movie finished, much to my surprise.

We had been sitting so close together that our cheeks seemed almost glued together as Candy and I pried ourselves apart. I took a quick look down in my lap, noticing Candy's fingers were only tenths of an inch from latching onto my hard pole. I breathed a sigh of relief as Candy stood, turning to grab her coat. I was presented with a tremendous view of her ass, the round cheeks almost pressing against my face. I took the opportunity to stand, surreptitiously adjusting my cock to a position somewhat less painful.

My stealth was all for naught, however, as Candy took a step backwards, bumping firmly against my crotch, the pole of my erection wedging neatly between the firm cheeks of her ass.

"Sorry," I mumbled, immediately pulling my hips back in order to put some breathing room between us. Candy just grinned at me over her shoulder and I wondered if the entire thing had been planned.

To my surprise and relief, the mood from the movie didn't seem to have been broken, as my hand seemed to almost gravitate toward Candy's and the two of us held hands as we walked in the late afternoon chill to her car.

"Thanks for the movie," I said as Candy unlocked her car. I grabbed the scraper to clear off the windshield while she started the vehicle. "I had a really good time."

"Me too," Candy said. She navigated out of the parking lot and onto the road, heading for my parents' home. "It was fun. We should do it again sometime."

"Sounds like fun."

Eventually we arrived in front of my parents' house, and Candy and I exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. We chatted for a moment before I saw the porch light turn on. Sunset came so early during the winter that it was almost dark now.

"I should probably head in," I sighed. "Thanks again."

"Any time," Candy grinned, sliding across the front seat and planting a kiss firmly on my cheek. "Give me a call."

"I will. See you at work." I climbed out of the car and watched as Candy drove away, her tire tracks leaving a clean imprint in the fresh snow. She waved as she turned the corner and drove out of sight.

"Hey Bobby. Kind of steaming the windows up a little bit, weren't you bro?" Mary asked when I walked in the house. She and Caleb were sitting on the couch, watching some old black and white TV show. I sat down next to my sister, giving her a look of pure innocence.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," I huffed. "All we did was talk."

"Uh huh," she smirked, clearly not believing me. She grinned slyly and performed the move all children grow to hate, licking her finger just like our mother and wiping my cheek.

"What?" I asked, brushing her hand away as I stood. She held her hand up, showing me the lipstick smeared on her index finger.

"Talking, huh?" she grinned. "I think you missed a little lipstick, dear brother." She and Caleb cracked up at this, giggling after me as I went up to the guest room.

After our semi-official movie "date," it was almost as if the dam burst and the feelings Candy and I had for each other poured out. The two of us managed to finagle our coworkers into switching shifts with us so that Candy and I worked together every time either one of us was on the schedule.

This also meant that the two of us had down-time at the same time, and the two of us spent almost every minute of it together. One evening was at the company's Christmas party and dance. Candy and I were almost inseparable that night, plastered together on the dance floor. If there had been any question about how the two of us felt about each other, Candy's nipples poking out from the front of her sheer blouse or my erection pressing into her soft belly would have silenced any doubts.

"Are you having a good time," I whispered in Candy's ear. The floor was almost empty, the party having begun to wind down thirty minutes before. The song we were dancing to was a slow one and as the two of us moved in unison, we were in reality doing little more than grinding against each other. My hands had slipped down Candy's smooth back and were now resting on the tops of her rounded ass cheeks. As we swayed to the music I could feel her muscles flexing beneath my fingers. Candy sighed and pressed herself more closely against me as I squeezed her soft flesh.

"Wonderful," she murmured. Candy was wearing a satiny dress, light purple and smooth to the touch. As we danced I almost imagined I could feel the hot mound of her pussy pressing against my thigh as my hard cock pushed insistently against her hip. We swayed together, enjoying the closeness until at last the song faded away.

"Do you want to stay?" I asked, noticing we were one of only three couples left in the hall. Candy looked up, biting on her lower lip as she locked eyes with me.

"I think we could go, if you wanted," was her response. I noticed her face was flushed and her voice seemed throatier than normal as we stood there. Nodding quickly, I grabbed her hand, wondering briefly whether the dampness I felt in our palms came from her hand or mine. Deciding it didn't matter and thankful for the suit jacket I was wearing as it obscured my erection from sight, I dragged a more than willing Candy from the dance floor and into the hallway, my mind swirling at what the night might bring.

The hallway was deserted. Unable to hold myself back any longer, I paused, pivoting in place and pushing Candy back against a wall. I buried my face in her hair, kissing my way down the side of her face until my lips and tongue made tiny wet spots on her smooth, hot skin. She moaned, grabbing my hand tighter in her own as I trailed my lips along the line of her jaw. As I kissed her, I could feel her pulse racing just below the surface of her delicate skin.

"I want you," I growled, pressing my hard cock between her thighs. Candy moaned at the sensation, opening her legs as wide as she was able in her skirt, allowing my shaft to press hotly against her covered pussy. Even through our layers of clothing I could feel her heat.

As we ground frantically against each other her mouth sought out mine and we kissed, our wet lips opening as our tongues dueled together. Candy moaned into my mouth as I trailed my hands down along her side, spanning my fingers over her rounded hips and around behind her to cup her buttocks.

"You're so hard," she moaned, humping her crotch against my own. "Can you feel how wet I am for you?" She looked me in the eye, a wild look on her face as she dragged her tits across my chest. "Do you want to fuck me?" she asked.

"God, yes," I hissed. We kissed again, our hands dancing over the other's body, probing and grasping at whatever came into reach.

"Oh Bobby. You're so hot," Candy moaned as her fingers found my cock. She had managed to unzip my slacks and somehow slipped her hands inside my briefs and was now stroking my erection. "I want you. I need to feel you inside me," she panted.

My own hands were full as well as I reached under Candy's blouse, no longer tucked in her skirt, and cupped her pert breasts. Her nipples were like pebbles against my fingers. I squeezed and tugged at the rubbery flesh, drawing sighs of delight from Candy's lips, just as her soft stroking brought moans of appreciation from my own.

As my passion built up I could sense slippery drops of precum escaping the spongy tip of my cock (now pulled free of my slacks), and leaking down over Candy's fingers. She noticed as well and began spreading the sticky liquid over the tip and shaft of my prick, drawing yet another grunt of approval from me.

Not wanting Candy to feel left out I released my grip on her soft tits and reached down under her skirt. Momentarily breaking her grip on my cock, I grabbed the hem of Candy's skirt with both hands I slowly lifted it up over Candy's hips, allowing her to spread her legs more widely.

She parted for me readily, quickly regaining her insistent grip on my erection. As more and more of Candy's smooth thighs came into view I felt myself - if possible - grow even more erect in her hand. As soon as I was able I let go of the skirt, now bunched around Candy's waist, and reached out a hand to cup her warm, and as I soon found out, sopping wet pussy.

When my fingers crept past the elastic band of her satiny pink panties, Candy gave a strangled cry. Her hips rocked up to meet my fingers as I probed her sensitive flesh. Her deep crevice was dripping with her fluids and it was easy work to wet my finger in the pungent liquid. Her labia, puffy and dark red with her arousal, opened easily to my touch, parting to reveal the delicate inner flower of her pussy.

"Touch my clit," Candy panted. Her head was thrown back, eyes closed, mouth wide open in a mostly silent scream. Her hands had abandoned my cock and were now attending to her breasts, each hand pulling on the smooth flesh. My fingers, now coated with her fluids, sluiced in and out of Candy's honey-coated pussy, the liquid noises the only sounds in the empty hall other than our ragged breathing.

As circumstance would have it, just as Candy appeared ready to orgasm, a bright light suddenly shone across her face. Her eyes snapped open and my head whipped around, turning to see a night watchman making his rounds.

"Hey you two!" he shouted, picking up the pace from his normally slow walk. Giggling like school children, Candy and I raced to make ourselves presentable before he arrived. Realizing it was hopeless, our clothes too disheveled, we took the only option available to us and bolted out a side door, escaping into the night.

"So cold!" Candy laughed, her teeth almost immediately chattering in the mid-December air. "Hold me." I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, continuing to look back from where we'd come, not confident our escape was anything other than temporary.

"Come on," I said, whispering loudly in the silent air. "Let's get out of here."

Our evening came to an abrupt end soon after, as both our roommates were home and awake.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she climbed out of my car, her gaze locked on my cock, still erect inside my slacks. "I didn't mean to leave you hanging like that." Her unhappy look quickly turned to one a bit more sultry and full of promise. "Well, not hanging, exactly. I guess I'll just have to make it up to you," she grinned as she closed the door. She blew me a quick kiss before running up the sidewalk to the front door of her apartment building.

"When?" I called after her.

"Next time!" she said, blowing me a kiss before she closed the door behind her.

"Next time... I like the sound of that," I thought as I drove away - happy, but more than a little on edge. I knew the box of tissues by my bed would come in handy that evening.

"Oh Robert! Are you sure? Can't you come for a little bit?" my mother asked early the next week. In rearranging our schedules in order to spend as much time together as possible, Candy and I had failed to check how the changes might affect anyone else. In my case, at least, it was going to mean missing the family's Christmas Eve festivities.

"Sorry," I said, shrugging my shoulders helplessly although my mom obviously couldn't see me over the phone. "I really can't."

"Could you at least make an appearance?" my dad asked, having picked up a different line and catching my answer. "The party starts fairly early," he continued. "I think everyone would like to see Santa." I sighed heavily.

"Can't do it. Because the shopping season has been so busy, Taylor's decided to stay open extra hours the week before Christmas, including the night before. We're open from eight in the morning until ten at night on Christmas Eve, and I need to be there starting at three thirty at the latest to start my shift."

"I guess we'll just have to miss you," my dad answered.

"Sorry," I repeated, wondering if I would ever feel older than a ten year-old when it came to disappointing my parents. We chatted a bit more before hanging up.

"Didn't go very well, huh?" asked Candy, who had been listening to my end of the conversation. She scooted closer to me on the couch and nestled into my side.

"Nah, but it's okay, I guess." I smiled down at her. "At least we get to spend the day together."

"Right," she snorted. "At least you get to sit down all shift. I'm the one who has to stand up the whole time. My back kills me at the end of every shift, just from the constant bending over to give the kiddies their candy canes!"

"Need a back rub?" I asked. Candy shook her head.

"I'm fine right now," she replied. "Ask me tomorrow night."

"Can you believe it's almost Christmas?"

"Only a couple more days," she smiled. "What are you getting me?" she grinned.

"Not telling," I huffed. "It's a surprise."

"I know you're ticklish," she said in a teasing, menacing voice.

"Is that a threat?"

"Maybe." Candy looked out of the corner of her eye at me.

"I'll never tell."

"We have ways of making you talk," she said in a clipped German accent. The two of us stared at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter. I reached out and gave Candy a hug, enjoying the warmth and softness of her body as she melted against me. When we finally broke the embrace I noticed her giving me a curious look.

"What?"

"You're not going to tell me, really?" she asked. I broke out in laughter again.

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"Humph," Candy groused, although it was obvious she was only half serious. We sat on the couch for a few more minutes, just holding hands and enjoying each other's company. Eventually we noticed the time and with a frustrated sigh I pulled myself to my feet, dragging a mildly protesting Candy up with me.

"Sorry," I said. "It's late. I have to run a few errands in the morning before work. I wish I could see you on Christmas Day." Candy's parents were visiting from out of town, so the two of us wouldn't see each other after Christmas Eve, at least for a few days.

"Then I guess I'll just have to give you your present tomorrow night," she said.

"After work?"

"Sounds good."

"It's a date, then."

I, for one, will never understand the deeply-ingrained habit many men seem to have developed that leads to so many of us doing an entire month's worth of Christmas shopping the day before the big event. I have always been a prompt person, going back so far as my school days, when it wasn't uncommon for me to sit down on a Friday evening and finish my homework for the weekend, just so I wouldn't be faced with it Sunday night.

Still, it always amazed me when I came face to face with procrastination so great that husbands were willing to risk the dark ire of the lady of the house, just to avoid facing the normal crowd of Christmas shoppers.

And yet, here I was, two hours before my last shift of the season as Santa Claus, frantically looking over pieces of gold jewelry at Taylor's jewelry counter.

"What are you looking for?" the girl behind the counter asked me.

"I don't really know," I said, fighting the urge to scratch my head for fear I'd look even more idiotic than I knew I already did. "It's for a girl, and we've only been dating, not really dating, just kind of hanging out a lot, and..." I paused, knowing by the look on the girl's face that I'd just said something even more idiotic.

"Are you stalking her or something?" she grinned.

"No! It's not like that. It's just... we like each other. A lot. But it's only been a few weeks, and I don't want to scare her off."

The girl nodded as if that explained things perfectly and disappeared from behind the counter. When she reappeared, it was behind me and I stifled a cry of surprise. The girl had returned with a necklace, but completely perfect for Candy. It had a thick gold chain, actually three chains braided together, a heart made of what appeared to be ruby hanging from it.

"It's beautiful," I said. "Looks expensive though." The salesgirl looked at me suspiciously, apparently trying to gauge the true depth of my feelings for Candy.

"Maybe a little bit," she said finally. "But don't you like it?"

Damn! She was right; the necklace was beautiful. Gorgeous without being ostentatious, simple without being plain. I nodded; my first instinct about it had been right. Pricey or not, it was what I wanted to give Candy for Christmas.

"Wrap it up for me?" I said with a little grin. The girl smiled brightly. I don't know how many other desperate men she'd had looking for jewelry this close to Christmas, but she seemed quite pleased by my sale. I took advantage of the present wrapping service the department store offers during the holidays, and after grabbing a bite to eat headed back to the dressing area. Despite all the right signals I'd been receiving from Candy, I was suddenly nervous about the gift I had "hidden" in the plain paper bag in my hand.

"What's that?" Candy asked, startling me as she walked into the room. I glanced at the clock, unaware of how close it was to our starting time. Candy had arrived dressed in her costume, while I still needed to change. Apparently the gift would need to wait until after our shift.

"Uh... what? Oh, this? Just supper," I lied, tossing the necklace in my locker. I grabbed the Santa suit, shaking out the dust that invariably gathered each night. "You mind?" I asked Candy, feeling foolish for my sudden case of modesty. Her response was to sit in one of the chairs directly in front of my locker, grinning broadly.

"I don't mind," she laughed. "Take it off, Santa!"

"You asked for it." I shook my head in amusement and began the process (which was about as far from sexy as undressing could get), of transforming myself from a mild-mannered teacher's assistant to St. Nicholas. Candy grinned the whole time, watching as I stripped down to my underwear before strapping on layer after layer of foam padding. Once I had obtained the bulk associated with Santa I grabbed the traditional red suit. The entire process took roughly fifteen minutes.

"You are one sexy Santa," Candy commented as I tugged on the red hat. "You took forever though."

"You could have helped," I shot back.

"Nah," Candy smiled. "I'd much rather help you get out of the suit than put it on."

"Really?" I smirked. "I think I know a Santa who wouldn't mind a little help like that!"

"Do you really?"

"I think I might," I grinned, wagging my eyebrows for effect.

"We'll see about that," Candy said. Laughing at our silliness, the two of us hurried out to the main floor of the department store. We waited until there was a lull in the seemingly unending line of children to switch places with Carlos (the only hispanic Santa I'd ever seen), and his sullen elf helper, Jeff, who it seemed had been given a second chance to play Santa's helper.

"Hey Bobby. Hey Candy," Carlos said as we passed. I nodded quickly, keenly aware that the shopping crowd, so close to Christmas, was bound to be more than a little restless, so I hurried to my place, as did Candy.

After a few hours of sitting, I was more than ready for "Santa's" dinner break. Forgetting I had told Candy my dinner was in the bag which actually contained her necklace, I was momentarily confused by her look when I mentioned I was heading across the street to grab some fast food.

"I thought you brought your supper?"

"Um... I... ah," was the best I could do. I was attempting to concoct some sort of believable story when Candy darted to my locker and grabbed the jewelry box. I tried to stop her from opening it, but she pulled away from me triumphantly.

"Ah ha!" she chortled, holding the brown paper bag aloft. "What's in here, really?" she asked. "Is it my present? It's kind of small to be my present, don't you think? Can I open it now?"

I sat back in my chair, my hands resting on my knees. I shrugged my shoulders helplessly.

"Why not? I was going to surprise you after we were done playing dress-up, but I suppose now's a good time. Knock yourself out." I sat back, trying to look uninterested while Candy tore into the neatly-wrapped package. I knew the moment she saw the necklace when the good-natured "ooh" and "ah" sounds she was making tailed off into silence.

"Bobby?" she asked questioningly. I turned my head to see her holding the gold chain in her hand, the blood-red heart dangling loosely in the air. "Is this really for me?" I smiled and nodded happily.

"Do you like it?" I asked, a bit unnecessarily. The look on Candy's face told me all I needed to know. It was indeed a stupid question.

"Bobby! It's gorgeous. I don't... I don't know what to say. I didn't get you anything nearly this nice," she said, a sickened look on her face.

"You don't need to get me anything at all." I stood, walking over to where Candy was standing. "Turn around, I want to put the necklace on you," I whispered, taking the chain from her hand. She spun gracefully, pulling her ponytail out of the way. I unfastened the clasp of the necklace and brought the heart pendant around to her front. As I closed the tiny mechanism, I couldn't resist the urge to bend down and kiss the smooth skin on the back of Candy's neck.

"Ooh, I like that." Candy shivered a bit as my lips pressed lightly against her, the soft hairs on her neck standing at attention. Candy leaned back, pressing against me lightly. I continued kissing her neck, eventually moving around to her front until we were standing face to face.

"Merry Christmas," I said quietly, looking into her deep blue eyes. She smiled up at me, her head tilted back, her lips opened slightly in obvious invitation. I closed the distance between us and soon our lips were pressing against each other in a serious kiss.

Candy moaned lightly, reaching up to wrap her arms around my neck as the kiss deepened. Her lips were soft, full and lush against my own. I felt myself beginning to respond to the gentle sway of her hips against me, my cock once again with a mind of its own as it thickened noticeably beneath my Santa suit. Candy rocked her hips against it, making clear it was no accident as she moved over the bulge in light circles. Our mouths were open now, Candy's wet, slippery tongue darting in and out of my mouth, teasing my tongue as I tried to connect with her.

The mood was broken, however, when we heard a light tapping on the break room door. Quickly, Helen's voice came through the door and the two of us pulled apart, both of us breathing more heavily than normal. I could see a light pink flush spreading over Candy's neck.

"Guys?" Helen called out.

"Come on in," I said, sitting down at the table to hide my condition. "What's up?"

Helen looked at the two of us nervously, obviously dreading whatever news she had for us.

"Normally I wouldn't do this," she stammered. "But it just couldn't be helped. I'm sorry."

Candy and I looked each other, wondering what the bad news was.

"Is that okay?" Helen continued. "If it isn't, I don't know what I'll do..."

"What?" I asked. "Helen, what's going on?"

Helen stopped short, a look of consternation crossing her features.

"But I told you..."

"No, you didn't."

"Didn't I? Hmm, I suppose I didn't." She laughed, her tension suddenly gone. "Well, maybe it's not so bad after all that," she said. "Robert, Candace, I'm afraid my granddaughter is extremely ill, and her mother works late and my son is out of town until late."

"And?" Candy laughed. "Helen, what is it?"

"Can one of you close the store tonight?" She stopped, a grimace on her face as she awaited our replies.

"Is that it?" I was relieved, thinking the situation might have been worse. I had worked retail before, many times, and was fairly familiar with the procedures at Taylor's, so I figured I could handle it. "I can," I said.

"Me too," Candy chimed in, giving me a look I didn't quite understand at first. "Don't you think you'll need some help, Bobby?" she asked.

"Not really," I said slowly as I watched her forehead wrinkle in frustration. "But I suppose... I could... always... use more help," I continued as Candy continued to nod at me, breaking into a grin as I finished.

"Excellent," said a relieved Helen. "You don't know what that means to me. Thank you, both of you."

Helen continued to give us last-minute instructions, warnings about unattended little children, passwords for the store's security system, and to our amusement, nearly forgetting to give us the all-important set of keys on her way out.

"Have I forgotten anything else?" she asked. "I don't think I have, have I?" Candy and I grinned at her flightiness. "Okay, have fun and good luck." Helen gave us one last "thank you" before hurrying out the door.

"Well, that was unexpected," said Candy as she turned back to me. She sauntered toward me until we were once again standing eye-to-eye. She slid her finger up the row of shiny black buttons running up the front of my Santa suit. "Now, where were we?" she said with a gleam in her eye.

"If I remember right," I said, running my fingers along her jaw line, "We were... just about to head back out to the floor." Candy looked at me in surprise. "Sorry, break's over."

Candy pouted for a moment, but eventually the two of us made our way back out to the greeting area. I took my chair and Candy took her place at the head of a much smaller line of children and parents. I groaned inwardly as I glanced at my watch, seeing how much time we had left.

For some insane reason, even though it was Christmas Eve and no one was going to be shopping this late, not even guys, Taylor's was staying open two hours later than normal and wouldn't be closing until eleven o'clock. We still had three and a half more hours.

Depending on how you wish to look at it, it was either a good thing that those last hours were slow, or it was torturous. My vote is for the latter.

Generally I'm a fairly easy-going, laid-back kind of guy. I don't necessarily mind if I'm working and it's not too busy. But on this particular Christmas Eve the time seemed to creep by in agonizingly slow fashion. I swear I looked at my watch after sitting in the chair for hours, only to find that only fifteen minutes had passed.

And Candy wasn't making things any easier for me. In fact, she was making things incredibly hard... literally. After the first hour, when only one little girl and her father showed up, Candy began teasing me mercilessly. When she moved from her post to where I was sitting, she leaned in extra close, making sure her breasts, seemingly unfettered under the red and green costume she was wearing, rubbed enticingly across my arm. As we chatted, her fingers moved, apparently idly, over my chest, her delicate touch driving me crazy.

When another child finally came around around nine o'clock, well past his bedtime as far as I was concerned, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was in the process of mentally willing my erection to go down so as not to cause a scene when Candy nearly gave me a heart attack.

"Would you like a candy cane?" she asked the little boy. He nodded shyly, watching in excitement as Candy reached into her bag of gifts and brought out one of the pieces of candy she was distributing to the children. I was also watching in great anticipation, but for another, entirely prurient reason. As she bent over to give the child his prize, I received my own reward.

Slowly her skirt seemed to rise up on Candy's smooth thighs until it was hanging just below her smooth ass. I gulped, my throat suddenly dry as Candy bent more, further than I felt was probably necessary, but who was I to complain? I nearly gasped, as the skirt crept further up her thighs, when I realized that Candy wasn't wearing anything under her costume. My guess as to why her breasts seemed so much rounder, and why they moved so freely under her costume had been correct, but I wouldn't have guessed she would go so far as to wear no panties.

"Have a wonderful Christmas," Candy told the boy, waving to the boy's father as the two of them walked away. I couldn't be sure, but judging by the look on his face, the father might have been more excited to see "my" elf than his son was to see me!

My gaze immediately returned to Candy once the boy and his father walked out of sight. Ignoring me for the moment, Candy grabbed a candy cane for herself and, as I watched in rapt attention, peeled the cellophane from the candy before bringing it closer to her mouth. Her pink lips parted slightly, allowing the curved end to slip between them. I was torn between watching her lick around the bend in the candy cane of trying to sneak a peak up her short green skirt.

Suddenly, Candy was turning and I realized with a slight shock that I was caught. Again.

"Is it hard?" she asked innocently. I merely sputtered in response.

"What?"

"I said is it hard. Is it hard sitting in that chair like that?" She grinned at me, pleased with herself no doubt. She knew her teasing was having its desired effect. At least I assumed she knew what she was doing to me.

"Would you like to try it out?" I asked, leaving my question intentionally vague. I'd leave Candy to figure out if I was talking about the chair or... something else entirely.

"Maybe later," she said. As she realized we were once again alone, Candy slowly made her way back to where I was sitting. "Your hat's a little crooked," she said, frowning at my red cap. "Let me fix it."

She stuck the candy cane in her mouth as she bent over me. Her tits were practically in my face at this point as she pushed my hat first one way, then the other. At one point she slipped, her flat shoes sliding on the tile floor of the department store. I reached out to steady her, my hand ending up on her hip. As she shifted her weight from side to side, I could feel the muscles flexing beneath my grip. I squeezed down on the firm flesh as lightly as I could, pleased with the contented moan I heard from Candy.

"Want a suck?" she asked finally, having decided my hat was as good as it would get.

"What?" I stammered again. I looked out to where the line of children would be, if there had been any. We were still alone.

"Would you like a suck of my candy cane?" she asked sweetly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I nodded, opening my mouth as she brought the partially consumed treat to my lips. I darted my tongue out to swipe at the candy, coating my tongue with its sugar. Teasingly, Candy pulled the candy cane away from me, taking a quick swipe of it with her own tongue before returning it to me. Instead of allowing me to lick it once more, Candy traced a sticky line around my lips with the candy cane.

"I think that's enough," she said. "I think I got you messy. Better clean that up," she murmured before leaning in to me. Her breath was hot against my face as her lips parted. We kissed then, the sticky sweetness from the candy only heightening the pleasure as our tongues, also coated with sugar, slid over each other.

Who knows how long the two of us would have remained there, or indeed how much time passed, but suddenly the two of us were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"This makes an interesting picture," we heard. Candy and I started at the intrusion, Candy jumping away from me as if scalded. We looked toward the sound of the voice, sighing with relief to see it was one of the high schoolers who manned the cash registers at the front of the store.

"Hi," Candy said weakly. We were both anxious about being caught, but needn't have worried.

"I'm out of here," the boy said, no longer amused by our nervousness. "Don't forget to turn off the lights, and set the alarm. I'll lock the doors on my way out, okay?" Candy and I quickly agreed and soon we found ourselves alone.

"Where were we?" I asked, puckering my lips in anticipation. Candy just laughed.

"You stay right there, Santa," she said. "I'm going to go get your present ready."

"My present? I thought you didn't get me anything."

"I did, just not as nice as your gift. I was going to give this stupid pen set."

"That's cool, but you don't need to wrap it."

"I'm not. You're not getting the pen set," Candy said mysteriously as she walked away. "Wait right there," she repeated.

I sat there for a few minutes, feeling silly in my costume. As the minutes stretched on, I began to wonder where Candy had gone, until the lights started flicking off one by one.

"Need any help?" I called out after a moment. I had expected her to call back, but there was only silence. Suddenly I felt something warm and damp pressed over my eyes and Candy's voice whispered in my ear. Somehow, I hadn't heard her walk up behind me.

"Don't move," she said, her tongue darting out to trace a wet line around the ridge of my ear. I shivered at the sensation. I reached out blindly where her voice had come from to try and reach her, but she moved out of my grasp. "I said don't move," she repeated.

I nodded, feeling - more than hearing - Candy move in front of me. Somehow, whatever it was obscuring my vision had managed to stay over my eyes even as Candy repositioned herself. When she spoke again Candy was close by, but too far away for her to be holding it.

"You can uncover your eyes, but keep them closed" she said, her voice echoing into the darkness behind me. I reached up, pulling the cloth away from my face and trying to figure out what I had. I gasped as I realized I was holding a damp pair of women's underwear. "Open your eyes," she said quietly.

I did. The store was almost dark, but there was enough light for me to clearly see Candy standing in front of me, completely naked except for her cute little elf hat and the necklace I had given her a few hours earlier. She was beautiful, her breasts full and standing tall on her chest. Her pubic hair was trimmed neatly, a thin strip pointing down to her treasure. Her pussy lips were barely visible, but even in the faint light I could see she was puffy with arousal and already there was a hint of dampness between her legs.

As the realization of what her gift to me really was my prick give a lurch and suddenly I was as hard as I'd ever been as my cock fought to tear a hole through the costume.

"Merry Christmas," she said quietly. As Candy moved toward me her breasts swayed back and forth on her chest. Her nipples were already hard, poking out proudly from the soft white skin of her breasts. As she reached the chair she dropped to her knees, one hand reaching out to cup the bulge of my erection, the other up to toy with the heart at the end of the gold chain around her neck. "Thank you for the necklace," she said. "It's beautiful."

"You're welcome," I croaked, the warm hand squeezing incessantly on my prick making talking, let alone thinking and forming coherent sentences, very difficult. She smiled up at me for a short while before letting the necklace slip from her hands. I watched, entranced, as the ruby red heart eventually settled in the valley between her breasts.

So entranced was I that I failed to notice her hands releasing my prick until I felt my belt buckle come undone. I glanced down, seeing that Candy was trying to unzip my suit. I sucked in my breath to make it easier, lifting my hips as Candy managed to pull down both my suit and underwear at the same time.

"It's beautiful," she said as my cock sprang up, hard and quivering and already dripping with arousal. Her hand reached out, circling my shaft and squeezing lightly. I moaned in approval as Candy began slowly jacking my cock in her tiny fist. I reached down to cup her right breast in my hand, feeling the diamond-hard nipple against my palm only momentarily before Candy slapped my hand away. "Just sit back and relax," she said. "This is for you."

Candy leaned forward then, her tongue darting out to lick up the drop of pre-cum collecting on the head of my dick. "Mmm... tasty," she murmured quietly. Candy licked her lips, wetting them so they shone in the semi-darkness. She bent her head forward, her mouth opening wide as she neared my erection.

"Oh, God." A gasp was as eloquent as I could be at that moment as I felt her warmth and wetness envelop my shaft. Candy began a quick up and down motion on my erection, her lips and tongue suctioning and licking up and down my pole. I threw my head back, my eyes closed and mouth hanging open, as she continued her oral assault on my shaft. I gasped once more as I felt a soft hand, fingers gentle and smooth, cup my balls and begin a rhythmic squeezing in time with her sucking.

Before I was ready, and more than likely a result of being in a near-constant state of arousal the past few hours, I felt my orgasm begin to boil up inside of me. Even as I prepared to announce my imminent explosion, Candy picked up the pace of her sucking, her lips locking around the crown of my cock as her hand flew up and down my shaft, now shiny and slick with her spit.

"I'm going to come," I groaned. Hearing this, Candy released my prick from her mouth, her hand still a blur on my cock. Her tongue lashed out against the spongy tip of my prick and I twitched uncontrollably as my arousal reached its peak.

"Come for me, Santa. Come for me," Candy groaned before once again locking my prick between her lips. It was but a moment before I felt myself explode into her mouth. Candy groaned around my erection with each spurt, as I shot what felt like gallons of semen into her.

"Oh my God," I moaned when it was over. Candy was still sitting on the floor, her legs now spread wide as one hand toyed with her damp pussy. I watched, catching my breath as she inserted one finger, then two, in her wet tunnel, the liquid sounds audible in the empty store. "Give me a second and I'd be glad to return the favor," I said, looking forward to sinking my tongue into her wet pussy.

"Just watch," Candy said as she continued masturbating in front of me. I watched quietly as her fingers literally plunged in and out of her spread cunt, the juices leaking down around her hand and thighs. I felt myself growing more and more aroused as I saw Candy drawing nearer and nearer to her own climax. A flush was spreading over her upper chest, continuing down onto the upper slope of her breasts, Candy's breathing now coming in short, explosive gasps.

"Here it is," she panted loudly. "I'm coming!" Candy began strumming her fingers roughly over her clit, which was peaking out from under its hood. Suddenly her body froze and Candy's moaning took on a higher pitch as she wailed out the pleasure of her orgasm. The climax rolled over her in waves, as first her legs then her belly then finally the plump lips of Candy's pussy itself began quivering. Hers was a total body orgasm and by the time the aftershocks seemed to die down I was once again as hard as a rock.

"Let me help you up," I said gently, reaching down to pull Candy to her feet. She was still drained from her experience and it was a pleasant sensation to have a naked, sexy exhausted elf collapse in my lap. "That was pretty amazing," I said, wiping the perspiration from Candy's forehead. She looked up at me wearily, one hand resting against my chest while the other reached down to stroke my resurgent erection.

"You're ready again?" she exclaimed, the surprise evident in her voice. "You're a super Santa."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Candy took a deep breath, picking herself up from my lap. She stood over me for a moment, the slippery oils of her arousal still coating her pussy. She climbed up on top of me again, this time with her legs spread wide, her knees resting on my thighs as she straddled my lap. As she balanced herself above my erection, she grinned at me.

"Most of the time, Santa only comes once a year," she laughed. Her amusement quickly turned to a groan of pleasure as my prick spread her open. She dropped slowly onto my erection, the soft cheeks of her ass pressing firmly against my naked thighs. Wrapping her arms around my neck, Candy pressed her lips firmly against my own. As our tongues danced together, I could still taste the sweetness from the candy cane on her breath.

"Oh, God," Candy moaned into my neck. I tightened my grip on her tight ass, lifting her off my erection before allowing her to drop down onto me. Candy was so light it was little work, but she quickly joined in, her legs pumping as she slid up and down my pole, the thin inner lips of her pussy clutching wetly to my shaft as we thrust against each other.

I bent my neck, capturing a taut nipple between my lips, lashing at the sensitive bud with my tongue. At the sensation, Candy jerked in my lap, throwing her head back as I continued flicking over her rubbery flesh.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" she cried out, slamming her hips against me, impaling herself with each thrust. Candy leaned back, her nipple popping out of my mouth with an audible sound. Only my tight grip on her waist kept her from falling back, but Candy didn't allow her precarious position to slow her down as she continued rocking back and forth.

"You're so tight," I marveled, hunching my hips up to meet her thrusts. Candy was panting in earnest now, short little gasps that left no doubt her arousal was about to peak again. It wouldn't come too soon, as far as I was concerned. The excitement of the evening had me ready to blow once more, and I wanted Candy to enjoy her explosion.

"Again!" was all she managed before her body began shivering orgasm. As each wave crested, I could feel the slick walls of her cunt clamp down on my cock. The added sensation, coupled with the visual of Candy's face awash in ecstasy quickly brought me to my second orgasm of the night. Feeling me beginning to spurt deep inside her, Candy leaned into me, the pinpoints of her nipples dragging against my chest. Her arms locked around my neck as we kissed, our tongues probing wetly as we rested against each other.

I could still feel tiny aftershocks of pleasure as Candy leaned against me, her body twitching occasionally as we came down from our plateaus. Glancing at the clock above the department store's information desk, I was surprised to see it was almost midnight.

"Merry Christmas," I said, pressing my lips warmly against Candy's damp forehead. She looked up at me, exhausted but with a pleased expression on her face.

"It's going to be a Merry Christmas, isn't it?" she asked happily.

"And a Happy New Year," I replied.

The End