Page 7 of Kenzi's Little Christmas Wish

“Actually, almost everyone does. People who don’t tend to get stranded in dark parking lots, hoping they’ll get lucky enough to be rescued by a good guy.” He started the car and the low growl of the engine caused a small sensual tug of tension in her lower belly. One look at the man seated behind the wheel, and Kenzi felt her nipples hardening instantly. He looked rakishly handsome, and she felt the urge to reach over and muss his perfect hair, just to see if she could get a reaction out of him.

“So you are like my prince charming now, are you?” she asked instead.

“Not really. I’m more like the mature guy who knew enough to make sure his car got serviced and tuned up regularly.”

As Kenzi looked around his car, it was clear he took care of it. The dashboard was squeaky clean, not a single line of dust anywhere on it. She also didn’t have to be an auto-head to know a lot of money had been spent on the interior. Even the seats were warm and plush, inviting her to lean her head back and take a short nap. She probably would have, too, if she was in another car, and it was another person sitting beside her.

He drove with one hand, the other resting on the gear stick. And every time he shifted, the resulting change in the sound of the engine did things to her. Senses that had been dulled by her recent breakup were suddenly firing awake, and she wondered how someone who made her so mad could also make her so… horny.

Yes, she was horny. But a few seconds of thought and she decided to blame it on the sexy car, and the fact that it has been a long time since she got laid last.

“So how long have you and Debbie been friends?”

“Since high school.” The question threw her off for a bit, so her answer was given straightforward, and without her usual bite. Which was why she quickly added, “Probably right around the time you were celebrating your fiftieth birthday.”

“Exactly how old do you think I am?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged to show she didn’t care, either. A blatant lie, since she glanced at him from the corner of her eye to see if he would say.

“I guess you guys are a case of opposites attracting,” he said instead. “I mean, she is cute and sunny. And you are…well, you are not.”

“Oh, I’m cute and sunny too,” Kenzi smiled, baring all her teeth. “I just prefer to only show that side of me to people I like.”

“And why don’t you like me?” he asked moments later, and she was at a loss for words. Now faced with it, she realized that she could not point out a sensible reason for her antagonizing attitude towards him.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to answer that…”

“I didn’t want to answer it, which is why I didn’t answer it,” she quickly said to save face, and was rewarded with that superior smile that made her want to scream that that was the reason why she didn’t like him. Hard to put that into words though.

“So this is temporary for you? Your gig at the store.”

“What?”

“Is there a job you plan on returning to when you are done playing elf at the store?”

“No,” she replied. And when she realized that answer kind of made her look like a loser, she grudgingly added, “I got fired from my last job a few weeks ago.”

“Why am I not surprised by that? Although I don’t see that it taught you the intended lesson.”

“What lesson?”

“That you should be nice to your boss. That’s like employee rule 101.”

“Good thing this is temporary then.”

“It could be permanent, if you want it to be.”

“Why would I want that? Why would you want that, for that matter?” she asked, understandably baffled by the offer.

“Saw you work today and you are great at organizing and dealing with high maintenance customers. The way you made sure those kids’ mothers did exactly what you wanted them to do, while keeping them satisfied at the same time was really impressive. If I were to guess, I’d say you’ve worked at a bar before.”

He was right, but she sure as hell was not giving him another reason to be smug.

“So if you are open to it, I’m sure we can find a place for you at the store. I mean, we still have to work on your bedside manner a bit.” He smiled at her, and she wondered how to respond.

“I’ll think about it,” she finally said, then glanced out in surprise when he pulled to a stop in front of her apartment building.

“Been here once before to drop something for Debbie,” he answered her unasked question.

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