STORY EXCERPT

“Hi, I’m Bobbles, and I’ll be the one giving you your tour. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.” Bobbles smiled without separating his lips. “There are only a few rules to follow, but other than that, I think you’ll enjoy working here.”

Judah stood there, his mouth hanging open as he took in all the bright and shimmering colors of the warehouse. “The temp service told me I had a job at a distribution warehouse.”

“You silly Willy. This is a distribution warehouse. The largest on the planet. We recruit every year to help out the elves.”

It seemed Bobbles had partaken in one too many drinks or drugs. Although the place was all decked out for Christmas, there was no way Judah would believe this was Santa’s workshop. Bobbles was off his flipping rocker. But Judah needed the money, so he kept his mouth shut.

“I need you in the alcohol and firearms sector.” Bobbles tapped his red-and-green clipboard that was smattered with Christmas stickers. “Although we’re pretty lax here, I expect hard work out of you. And don’t even think about stealing any alcohol. We had to fire a few guys for doing that.”

Judah slowly turned, wondering if he was still in bed dreaming. Mrs. Main, the woman who had called him about this job, had said he would be working in a fun and exciting environment, and that the pay was top-notch. Had she known where she was sending him?

The walls were a bright red, with strips of white wrapping around…everything. The place smelled like one big peppermint, and wreaths hung from handrails, and mistletoe from strings like cardboard stars at a prom. Holiday music blared over speakers. Judah hated holiday music.

Glitter covered the floor, people with walkie-talkies slowly roamed through the crowd of workers, and the largest table Judah had ever seen sat in the center of the room. A map of the world was spread across the table. It wasn’t just any kind of map either, from what he could see. Little lights blinked all over the thing.

He stood there in utter amazement as Bobbles walked away to talk to someone. Judah moved closer, wondering what all the lights meant.

“The red lights indicate places we’re not allowed to go,” Bobbles explained as if he could read Judah’s mind. Judah hadn’t seen Bobbles approach, but the guy stood right behind him. “Those areas are what we here at the workshop refer to as ‘The Gladiator Zones.’ They’re the roughest neighborhoods, and only the Elite Ops Elves travel there.”

“You don’t by any chance self-medicate, do you?”

Bobbles’s laugh was light, breezy, and downright irritating. How anyone managed to have a beautiful laugh while inserting snorts was beyond him. “No, silly Willy. It’s the festive atmosphere. You’ll catch the Santa spirit soon enough.”

Judah remembered the crackpot had said something about rules. “So what are the few rules I need to follow?”

Bobbles’s smile grew tight. The spark in his purple eyes dimmed slightly. If Judah didn’t know any better, the nutjob looked kinda scared.

“Well, there are only two rules you must adhere to. And there is no getting around them.” He moved closer, cupping his hand to one side of his mouth. When he spoke, his voice was just a whisper. “Don’t mess with Dick is rule number one.”

Judah wasn’t sure if the guy was talking about a person or if the joint had some kind of anti-gay rule. He would’ve thought these guys wouldn’t care considering the place was festive enough to host a gay ball and Bobbles was so flamboyant that he should’ve been floating instead of walking.

“Got it,” Judah said. “Don’t mess with any dick.”

“You have to know the second rule as well,” Bobbles said as if he hadn’t heard Judah. “If Dick flies through here, duck and run.”

Judah burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he pressed his hands on his knees as tears streamed down his face. God, he’d needed that. His life was a complete wreck, and he hadn’t had anything to smile about in so long.

“Laugh all you want,” Bobbles said in a snippy tone. “But break those rules and you’ll feel the wrath of Dick.”

Judah laughed even harder. He held a hand up. “S-Sorry.”

“Anywho.” Bobbles’s bright and bubbly smile returned. “Let’s get you to the liquor-and-guns room.”

“I don’t think those two should mix,” Judah said. “Sounds kinda dangerous.”

“It’s not our job to judge, silly Willy. All we do is give people what they ask for.” Bobbles tapped his colorful clipboard. “The lists are everything. We live and die by them, and we don’t give refunds, exchanges, or substitutions. What a person asks for, they get.”

Live and die? Someone took their job way too seriously. “So what will I be doing?”

“Filling the orders, silly Willy.”

If the guy called him that one more time, Judah would take the man’s clipboard and that annoying pen with the fluffy feathers on the end and shove them where the sun didn’t shine. “Show me the way.” He smiled tightly.

“Hey, Judah, how’s it going?” some guy who was so short that Judah had to look down to see him said. He had on a plaid green shirt and red pants that didn’t go all the way to his ankles. His suspenders were white, and to be honest, he looked as if he should be a part of the Lollipop Guild. He was round, his blond bangs were gelled into an upward spiral, and he had a strange wobbling sound to his voice. He held what looked like an antique pocket watch. He stared at it and then stuffed it into his trousers.

“How do you know my name?”

The guy smiled, showing off his toothless mouth. “It’s our job to know every boy and girl.”

Judah shook his head in confusion as the round man waddled away.

ADULT EXCERPT

Judah watched every delicious inch of muscled flesh revealed to him as Hudson undressed. His hole clenched when Hudson turned to him, gloriously naked with a thick and straining cock jutting between his legs.

Not waiting for Hudson to make his move, Judah wiggled until he was on his hands and knees. He stuck his ass in the air, still desperate to feel that thick cock stretching him.

“Damn,” Hudson whispered as his hands glided over Judah’s ass. “Now this is a present worth giving.”

“Unwrap it already,” Judah whined.

“I’m just appreciating it for a second. You’re too impatient.”

Judah let out a shaky breath when Hudson’s fingers touched his hole. He pressed back, but Hudson wouldn’t insert them. If the guy kept him waiting much longer, Judah would wrap the ribbon around Hudson’s neck.

Judah’s eyes sank shut as Hudson parted his cheeks. A swipe of the tongue had him moaning. Two swipes and Judah lowered his shoulders to the bed. There was pressure, and then one of Hudson’s fingers slid inside of him.

Hands strangling the blanket, Judah hissed and moaned as Hudson licked and sucked at his skin, his finger pushing in and pulling out, twisting until he grazed Judah’s gland.

“Oh God,” Judah moaned. His fingers curled into the bedding, his body humming with pleasure. Judah figured out that Hudson wasn’t going to make this fast and hard, and that was fine. The way Hudson made him feel set Judah’s blood on fire. He never knew taking things slow could be so toe-curling. And his toes were definitely curling.

Judah inhaled sharply and then groaned when Hudson scraped his teeth along his inner thigh. Goose bumps surfaced as Judah panted. It was pretty sad to realize that none of his past lovers had ever made him feel this revved, and the only thing Hudson had done so far was tease him.

Judah twisted and cried out when something sharp struck his thigh. Hudson grabbed his waist and held him in place. The bastard had bitten him! Judah started to scream for Hudson to get away from him, but then a rush of mind-blowing sensations slammed into him so hard that he climaxed. Judah bowed his back, his legs quivering as Hudson sucked deep drafts. Spurts of cum hit the bed as waves of pleasure crashed over him. Judah was so lost that he'd barely noticed Hudson had added more fingers to his ass. He was far too gone to notice anything but the scorching heat of ecstasy pulsing through him.

Hudson swiped his tongue over Judah’s thigh before pulling back. His hand glided over Judah’s back. “Told you you’d like it.”

Judah collapsed on the bed, gasping for breath. He was too boneless to care that he was lying over a pool of his cooling cum. His body jerked with tiny aftershocks and his brain had gone offline.

The bed dipped and Hudson stretched out beside him. He stared at Judah with a soft and silly smile. “Gonna survive or do I have to get Bobbles in here to perform CPR?”

Judah touched the tips of his fingers to Hudson’s jaw. He grazed them over the man’s cheek, staring into those pretty hazel eyes. “I’ve never known a guy to joke about another man touching what he thought was his.”

Hudson shrugged. “I’m not intimidated by other men. They can look all they want, but in all seriousness, if anyone was dumb enough to touch you, I’d show them why vampires are truly feared.”

Judah grinned at Hudson’s matter-of-fact tone. There was no heat behind his words, no savage growl. He had simply stated a fact. He’d placed a claim in Judah, and anyone who thought to go up against the beast would be slain.

“I think your stamp of ownership is amazing.” The mind-bending orgasm had to have made Judah say that. He’d never felt the need to be owned, although he couldn’t deny how lonely his life had been before meeting Hudson. “Were you telling the truth?”

“About what?” Hudson had one of his hands propped under his head. The other played in Judah’s hair.

“Us being mates.”

“Yeah, I was. You’re mine, Judah, and I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas gift.”

Judah wasn’t sure what to think. No one had ever been thankful for him. Not a lover, at least. Most men wouldn’t have acknowledged they’d slept with him because he wasn’t model-thin. But Hudson seemed proud of the fact that Judah was his.

Hudson rose slightly and turned Judah onto his back. He moved until he was between Judah’s legs. “Enough pillow talk,” he said. “I need inside of you, too...badly.”

Judah’s heart sped up as he wrapped his legs around Hudson’s waist. The tip of Hudson’s cock pressed at his hole. Judah started to call a time-out, but Hudson reached under the pillow and pulled out a bottle of lube.

“You put that there when you were looking the place over,” Judah accused.

“Busted.” Hudson grinned. “Had very high hopes I’d get you into bed.”

After lathering his cock and tossing the bottle aside, Hudson lined the head up to Judah’s hole. In one deep thrust, he was buried inside. Judah cried out, his nails digging into Hudson’s arms. His lips compressed and his eyes closed as he fought past the burning pain.

He knew Hudson liked to rip the bandage off things, but this shouldn’t have been one of those times. Judah blew out a series of short breaths and then nodded.

Hudson bent and grazed a kiss over his lips. “I’m right here with you, baby.”