Big Flirt: A Flirt Club collection Page 2
I took a deep exhale and then tried for a calm inhale. “Oh, sure.” I turned in his general direction and made myself look at him. “As Audrina said, we need a Santa for the coffee shop, and all the old men with white hair and a beer belly are booked up like years in advance, so could you do it?”
A smirk touched the edge of his lips. “Second choice after an old, tubby guy; that’s a first for me. So, what do I have to do? Just hand out gifts?”
“And kisses.” Audrina stated like she was saying something reasonable like Christmas cards.
“You didn’t say that on the phone!” Jared yelled in protest.
“Well, if I had you might have said no. Look around you, Jar. There are no customers because they’ve been seduced by pumpkin spiced lattes. So, we need you to seduce them instead.”
“I feel like some kind of hooker.”
“You got it. And all those lovely female customers are the fish. You never know, you might land one for good. ‘Bout time you settled down.”
His gaze flicked to mine, but I looked away, finally making his replacement drink. Fabulous, so my best friend wanted to get her brother a wife in my coffee shop, right in front of me. Just. Freaking. Great.
“What has that mug done to you today?” Audrina pointed to where I’d put it down with such force that half of the contents had splashed out over the counter. I grabbed a cloth, wiped the sides down, and then got yet another mug to make yet another drink.
“So, here’s your Santa costume, Bro.” Audrina pulled a packet out of the bag, “and here’s mine.”
I noticed something fishy. “Those packets aren’t very big, Aud.”
“Well, mine is just a green mini dress and a pair of Christmas trees on a headband. I decided to be a naughty elf because I didn’t want anyone to think I was Mrs. Claus and Jared’s wife, UGH. Not only would that be weird, but I don’t want the female customers throwing shade at me.”
I wasn’t sure how an elf costume made any difference, but it did in Audrina’s head so I didn’t challenge it.
“So, when is this happening then?” I asked.
“Tomorrow?” Audrina said. “Give me some time to get it on social media and the web page.” She turned to Jared. “can you go try yours on please, so we can take a photo to add to the advertising. Thanks.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes, but headed off to the bathroom.
When he returned, I think my eyes must have actually bulged out of their sockets. He was dressed in a Santa hat, and some red velvet boxers. THAT. WAS. ALL.
“I seem to be missing some of my costume.” He told his sister.
“Oh yes,” she replied going into her purse. “Here, I got you a Christmas tree bowtie to go with it.”
I passed him his drink. “If I had any alcohol, I’d have added some.”
“Thank you.” He turned to his sister. “Get this photo over with so I can get back changed, and you owe me big time for this. Big. Time.”
“I got you covered, Bro. I know this is a big favor you’re doing. So, I have a reward in mind for you, don’t worry.”
“It’s you. I do worry. Last Christmas you bought me a theater ticket. I never used it because why would I go to see Elf the Musical?”
“You too? She must have got them at a discount. She got me one as well. I couldn’t fathom why. I hated that film. It was painful to watch.”
“You are so ungrateful, the pair of you. And I’m making the sacrifice to dress up to entice all these male customers for your business, Casey. There’s no appreciation whatsoever. I’m going to get changed myself. Take Jared’s photo, will you?” She handed me her phone and swanned off out of the room.
“Please tell her I like Brunettes, will you?” Jared came up close and spoke low near my right ear.
I bristled. “Tell her yourself, I’m not Match.com.”
“No, you muppet. Brunettes, the band. They’re playing next year, and tickets go on sale tomorrow. I’d rather she got me something I actually wanted for Christmas.”
“Oh, yes. Of course. Consider it done.”
“Right, let’s get this photo done so I can get out of here.”
He struck a pose and with my hand shaking, I finally managed to take a couple of photos. Then I lied and said they’d not come out so well on Audrina’s phone so I was switching to mine to see if they looked better. I would dine out on these photos all night. Just me and a quiet night in bed with my phone. It’d make a change from stalking his Instagram page.
“Right, I’m off because seeing my sister in a minute elf costume tomorrow will be one time too many. Catch you tomorrow.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I turned and looked up at him as his eyes fixed on mine and then memories of that past event nipped at my mind like green ants on skin and I turned away.
“Thanks for doing this. Hopefully my own costume might get me a date.” I said without turning back around.
When I did, he’d gone.
Chapter Four
Jared
Well, how to fuck up spectacularly. It had been six years since that night—the previous time I’d fucked up spectacularly. When Audrina had invited me to the coffee shop and I realized I was actually going to see Case in the flesh for the first time in years, I’d jumped at the chance. Play Santa? I’d have emigrated to the North Pole if need be. To be honest, my own pole was featuring a lot in this current decision making.
You see just before I’d last seen her all those years ago at Maddy’s wedding, I’d realized that my sister’s best friend was starting to look, well, hot. Actually, she was looking well hot. I’d done my best to ignore her while at the same time joining the gym and making sure she got glimpses of my newly toned bod. I’d not wanted to cause problems if I made a fool of myself asking her out and she turned me down. Audrina would probably have beaten me up for even encroaching on her best friend anyway. Plus, I doubted Casey even saw me as anything other than her best friend’s annoying older brother.
But that night when I’d seen her on the bench. She’d looked so adorable, talking to herself, completely intoxicatingly intoxicated. And I realized I would have to tell her how I felt, whatever the consequences. Just not then, not while she was not able to make an informed choice about the possibility of an ‘us’.
When she’d gone to kiss me, I’d been in shock. Did she feel the same way about me?
I didn’t get a chance to find out after she was sick and then ran away.
I’d not known it would be the last I would see of her outside of stalking her social media. So, I’d ask my sister about her, just casually, to see what was going on in her life. When she opened the café, I’d passed by so many times, tempted to just walk in. I’d practiced exactly what I would say, but when the time came, I just couldn’t do it and I’d walk on by.
But was it my imagination or did she stare at me a little too long when she was taking my photo? Did she get annoyed when Audrina mentioned I might get a date?
Tomorrow, I would do my best to make her jealous. See if there was potentially anything between us.
I wasn’t religious but that night I actually prayed.
It hadn’t been my intention to walk into the coffee shop and burst out laughing.
A scowl swept across Casey’s face, as she tried to stomp off in her outfit. But she couldn’t.
She was dressed as something really weird. Her head was encased in a huge gold hat with spiky ends. It gathered around her neck. It led into a floaty red dress that went down to her ankles where the gold started again, pulled in tight at the bottom, hence her lack of movement. Then it flounced out over her feet.
“Erm, what have you come as Casey?” I asked her.
“Apparently, this was all they had in the shop.” She gave side-eye to my sister who was wearing her elf costume and looked very pleased with herself.
“It’s a British Christmas Cracker.” Audrina said. “Apparently, you pull them apart and there’s a paper hat, a joke, and a small gift in the center.”
“Yeah, there’s a joke in the center of it all right.” Casey huffed.
“You look amazing, doesn’t she, Jared?” My sister elbowed me hard in the ribs.”
“Yeah, you do, Case.” It was true. Dressed head to foot in the worst outfit ever, she still looked incredible.
“Right, I just need to tell you a few rules. Follow me.” My sister ordered me around. I shrugged my shoulders at Casey and did what I was told.
“Fuck it up this time and I’m done with the both of you.” My sister snarled at me when I reached the staff room.
“What?”
“The Elf tickets last year. You were sat next to each other. Except, smart ass, you didn’t show up.”
My mouth gaped.
“That’s why I got the Elf on a Shelf to hold the tickets in both of your apartments. You two were both ‘on the shelf’. I’d decided I’d had enough of being the go-between in the ‘what is the other one doing club’. All you had to do was go watch the goddamn show, but no.”
“You were setting us up?”
“Well, duh? Someone’s got to do something. I can’t take another six years of this crap. At first, I thought you were both just being polite asking about the other, and then the years passed and I realized there was more to it. I even got a job in her goddamn shop, so you had an excuse to come in.”
My eyes widened.
“Turned out I loved it, so that thankfully worked out okay, but you’ve never set foot through the door before yesterday. Why? I gave you the perfect excuse.”
“I- I was scared.”
“Well, you need to find your balls, dear Bro, because this is my last attempt at helping. From today, I refuse to tell either one of you anything about the other. I have my own life to lead. Next year I’m making some changes. I have dressed Casey as a Christmas Cracker. There’s a gift in there for you if you don’t fuck up.”
With that she left me to get changed.
Chapter Five
Casey
I was overwhelmingly hot, but not the way my bestie and her brother were. I was about one degree away from passing out. The news of our Santa had obviously spread far and wide. Audrina was helping me serve due to my limited available movement, plus the fact that men turned up, saw the queue of screaming, excited women and left again.
Jared seemed in his element, letting women flirt with him and sit on his lap. Then I had to endure watching him kiss them, even if it was only on their cheek. I was about to throat punch the next one who ‘accidentally’ ran a hand up his thigh. All their ‘presents’ contained a voucher for a half-price drink to get them back into the shop, plus a cookie. Audrina had put the little goody bags together last night, bless her. If we started making money again she was due a raise.
“If you get Santa as a barista, I would be in here every lunchtime. Every day.” Said one of the women as she adjusted her top to show more cleavage. I walked over to Audrina who was playing the coffee machine like a fine piano, setting up all the different components. “So that’s it. I need to employ a sexy, male barista. Totally against every ethic and employment law I can think of, but guaranteed to bring in business.”
“Well, see how the drinks promo works out first.”
“I will.” I cast a glance over at Santa again. “Well, while we’re certainly giving away plenty of goody bags, Santa’s no doubt giving away his phone number.”
“Nah, he’s already got his eye on a new girlfriend. Head over heels he is. I’ve been tormenting him about her.”
“Oh.” I stilled. “Poor woman having to put up with your brother. Does she need a psych evaluation?”
Audrina stared at me a beat too long. “Well, yeah, anyone who wants to date my brother is obviously insane.”
“So, who’s this new woman?” I lifted my cell out of my apron pocket ready to begin immediate stalking but then ten more women walked in, and my question was lost in the chaos that my coffee shop became for the rest of the day.
“You can help Casey clear up. I’m shattered.” Ordered Audrina. She pulled on her coat over the top of her elf outfit, grabbed her bags and with a “See you tomorrow,” she was gone.
“She could have helped me get out of this stupid outfit before she left.” I whined.
“Here. Let me help.” Jared said, walking toward me. He held the top part of my outfit—the large cracker head—and pulled. It whipped off and my hair crackled with static electricity. I could feel it standing on edge.
“Oh my god.” Jared fell about laughing.
“Yes, okay. I think we know I look like a complete idiot. Jeez, I may as well just put the damn thing back on, seeing as I look stupid with or without it,” I raged. Jared’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped open.
Shit.
Way to go to make yourself look like a total lunatic again in front of him.
Oh, fuck it. He’s got a girlfriend lined up anyway.
“I’m sorry, Casey. It’s just you’ve always got into these situations. All the time round at ours something crazy would have happened to you. You don’t look an idiot, you look adorable.”
Did he just say I looked adorable?
I smacked myself in the ear. I was obviously hearing things. Must be from having that stupid hat on all day.
“Casey, what on earth are you doing now?”
“There’s something wrong with my hearing.”
He moved closer. Now he was right in my personal space. He smoothed down my wild hair. “I don’t think there is. Now, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to pull this cracker.”
His mouth fell to mine. His lips were soft at first and then harder, more insistent. His hand tangled in my hair while my arms wrapped around his neck. Our mouths opened, and our tongues met.
I broke the kiss, breathless.
“But the woman Audrina says you like…”
“Is you, haven’t you worked that out yet? I’ve wanted you for years. Seems my sister got tired of us both taking forever and decided to take matters into her own hands.”
I gasped. “Really?”
“Yeah, you don’t think she actually wanted to see her brother half-naked for a full day, did you? It was all to get us together.”
“Wait until I see her.”
“Why?” He asked. “Is she in trouble?” His face was full of trepidation. Do not blow it now, Casey. Well, not your next sentence anyway.
“No. I’d just like to talk to her about taking over the marketing side of the café, because she’s shown she’s made for it.”
“And we’re made for each other.” He said. “Now, we’ve many, many years to catch up on.” With that he lifted me up and carried me to the stock room.
He placed me so I was sitting on the top of a box and pulled off the rest of my cracker outfit. I wiggled my legs, thankful to be free. Jared took it as an invitation to move between them. He was still in just his red boxers. I pinged his bow tie. His mouth returned to mine. I was now dressed in just a red lacy bra and matching panties. Trailing his lips down my neck, then down to one breast, he lifted it out of the cup and captured a nipple between his teeth.
I welcomed the sharp nip because it alerted me to the fact that this was actually happening. I was in the stock room with Jared Johnson and he was… well, he was…
Oh my god. My panties were moved to one side and his tongue licked right there. I arched my back. I thought last night’s fantasies were amazing, but they were nothing at the side of the reality. Coming undone, I shattered around his mouth. For a minute I felt embarrassed, until he dropped his Santa boxers along with the briefs he had on underneath them.
Oh my.
Opening my thighs wider, Jared positioned himself against me and thrust deep. It felt like paradise. Pausing for a moment, he stared down at me.
“God, I’m going to fuck you over and over and over this Christmas and beyond, Casey Roberts. Now I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go.” He said huskily.
I smiled. It was music to my ears. “I feel
like I should sing ‘Santa Baby’ or something.”
He thrust into me again, harder. There was one thing I knew for sure.
Santa was definitely coming this year…
THE END
Read more about Audrina in RESOLUTION: Bad Girl. Out January 2019.
RESOLUTION: BAD GIRL
Prologue
AUDRINA
6pm, New Year’s Eve
I read the message from Stacy, my past sorority president.
“Remember, ladies. Do it. Whatever it is you want to do. Wherever you have wanted to go. Whatever you want to try, to taste, to feel, to live... do it. This is our year.”
It’d been years since I’d seen anyone from Oak Ridge University, but this message hit home because right now, my life sucked and I vowed the next year was going to be very different.
Chapter One
AUDRINA
9am, New Year’s Eve
“Aww, come on. Tom is uber-nice, you’ll love him,” whined my best friend Casey as she followed me around her coffee shop. I was wiping tables down that didn’t really need wiping in an attempt to escape her annoying matchmaking efforts, but it wasn’t working.
“Aw, Case, I don’t want to go out on a double date with you and my brother, and one of my brother’s colleagues.” I pushed a chair under the table. “It’s bad enough when he calls in here at lunch or to take you home, watching all the touchy-feely loved up pukefest.”
“You helped us get together, so you’ve no one to blame but yourself.” Casey smiled in a fake wide grin.
“Well, it was that or watching you both constantly moon around each other, so it was a lose-lose for me really. Anyhow, I’m happy for you both, but that doesn’t mean that now you need to get me a date in return. Jared’s told me about Tom. He’s the kind of man who rings his mom daily and rescues kittens. I want someone who’s going to nail me to the wall while they fuck me so hard I can’t walk for days. Not someone who’s likely to want to take it slow but ask if I want a shoulder massage.”