Filthy Scrooge

Even if I did miss her snarky intelligence and her husband, Tony. Both of them had been cut out of my life three years ago too. No matter how hard I tried to put it behind me, I couldn’t see them without thinking of her.

It was bad enough I had this suit back on, but letting thoughts of her into my head were definitely not allowed. Not right now. Not if I wanted to get through this without growling at a child and that was simply not acceptable.

Even I wasn’t that much of a bastard.

Cheers of “Santa!” rang out among the younger children as the older ones stood toward the back of the pack. Every child would get a present. The one thing we always provided at the Christmas parties was a present for each child belonging to an employee. Some years it meant as many as sixty presents. This year the number was lower.

More and more employees were waiting to have children, or moving on once they did. But there were still a healthy number of them surrounding me and Kandy.

Kandy. The name really didn’t suit her, even if her lips looked and tasted as sweet as her namesake.

She tried to get me to move over to the Santa throne, but I didn’t want to be above the children today. I wanted to get the gifts handed out and get moving. The laughter and the tearing of paper was already too much.

By the time the last present was given out and my stash of candy canes was depleted, my head was pounding. My elf must have figured out that I was at the end of my rope. She herded the kids to the tables for dinner with the help of her assistant.

When we did our last waves of goodbye and escaped into the hallway again, I ripped at the suit coat. I was overheated from the warm room and extra padding to start with. Add in a layer of pissed off that I’d had to cover with smiles and charm and I was ready to kill.

“Mr. Murdock, I just wanted to thank you—”

I lifted her off her feet and fastened my mouth to hers to cut her off. I couldn’t think with all the crazy running around in my head. The one thing I did understand was the need crawling under my skin and inside my chest.

I opened a door down the hallway and pushed her into the darkness. There was little else for me to focus on but her warm breasts in my hands, and her sweet skin on my tongue. I scraped my teeth down her neck to her shoulder, but her sweater had far too much material to it. It looked good draped over her generous breasts, but right now it was in my way. I wanted skin.

I ripped at the slim belt at her waist and shoved my hands under her sweater. Warm flesh filled my hands as the lacy cups of her bra flipped up at my rough touch. I wanted to slow down. She deserved for me to slow down, but I was a man possessed.

Her nails bit into my shoulders as I lifted one nipple to my lips, then the other. I needed more. I dropped one hand to her waist and down the outside of her thigh. I dragged her knee up onto my hip and hauled her up against me. She locked her legs around my waist.

I had to believe she was with me since she was hanging on. Of course, it was either that or we were both going to hit the floor. I wasn’t sure what I was pinning her to. It was a shelving unit of some sort. My hand bumped into a pail as I shifted her higher.

I groaned as her skirt bunched between us. I grinded my cock against her, but there were so many layers between us I couldn’t feel her heat.

I ripped my mouth off hers. “Hold onto me,” I growled.

“This really isn’t the place.” Her breathing was ragged.

“I don’t fucking care. I’m demanding first payment, Miss Kane.”

“Here?” Surprise tinged her voice.

“Yes.” I shrugged out of my jacket and shirt then ripped at the Velcro fastening of my foam belly. Jesus. Way too many layers. I needed skin. I wanted her sprawled out on my bed in my cabin, but right here would do. For now.

It would hold me for at least a few minutes.

The door opened and the shaft of light blinded me enough to miss the streak of white flesh showing before I blocked her with my body.

“Holy shit. I’m sorry. God.” The door slammed closed and we were in a tomb of blackness again.

Kandy yelped and struggled to her feet. She pushed me back. “We cannot do this.”

I tried to catch her, but she must’ve had fucking cat eyes because she avoided my reach each time I turned to find her. Finally, my eyes adjusted to the limited light from under the door just in time to see her pull her sweater down over her hips and hop across the room as she put her boot on. I hadn’t heard it fall off.

Then I noticed her mile-long leg and groaned.

She’d taken off the striped stockings. She was a damn ninja. I hadn’t even seen

her do that—okay, so it was more like heard. And there was no doubt that my focus had been elsewhere.

Like on getting under her skirt.