Page 4 of A Little Christmas Caper

And then there was the Christmas tree. The biggest, sparkliest, most ornately decorated tree Michelle had ever seen stood right smack in the middle of the lobby.

“Best. Christmas. Ever!” Allie squealed, bouncing in place again as they stared up at the gigantic, sparkling tree.

“It’s starting to look that way, babygirl.”

They tore themselves away from the tree to follow Erika over to the ornate wooden desk where she went to work checking them in. But it was hard to focus on anything with the dazzling lights and decorations surrounding them, not to mention the constant buzz of conversation from all the people milling around. It might have been any other luxury resort, if it hadn’t been for the gift shop behind the check-in desk, with an entire wall dedicated to paddles of various shapes and sizes. Not to mention the rest of the fetish gear, all tastefully displayed throughout the store.

A familiar itch settled between Michelle’s shoulder blades. For as long as she could remember, shopping had been her release, the thing that got her through the hard times. After nearly getting her and Allie evicted, though, she’d clamped down on those urges. Mostly, she was able to keep them under control, but the need was always there, especially when she found herself in new places, like now.

Under the guise of examining the rest of the lobby, she forced herself to turn away from the store as she half-listened to Erika’s instructions.

“All right. Here is your room key. This gets you into several different areas of the Ranch as well, so it’s a good idea to have it on you at all times. There are two cards, one for each of you, but if you lose one, just come back here and we’ll issue a replacement. Dinner is usually between…”

Erika’s voice faded to the background as Michelle’s attention was drawn across the lobby where a giant of a man dressed like a stereotypical lumberjack was hauling a smaller, but still enormous Christmas tree through the hallway. A woman in a schoolgirl outfit and pigtails danced around him, obviously chatting away as he worked.

Were they roleplaying? If they were, she had to admire the dedication to their roles, although she wasn’t exactly sure what scenario would put a lumberjack and a schoolgirl together.

As she was watching, trying to figure out exactly what was going on, the man stopped and dropped the tree. In a smooth, effortless move that had Michelle’s breath catching in her throat, he bent down and tossed the woman over his shoulder and carried her a few feet to a closed door where he knocked and waited.

Another man, also dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, opened the door. Even from a distance, Michelle recognized the resigned expression of a Big realizing their Little had gotten themselves into trouble yet again. It was a look Michelle was certain she’d worn on multiple occasions.

The man behind the door took the woman from the lumberjack with a shake of his head. But when the lumberjack turned back, he was grinning.

And he wasgorgeous.

On top of being, as far as she could tell, absolutely ripped, he had a face made for modeling. At least, it seemed to be, though it was partially obscured by a thick, reddish beard. She wasn’t normally a fan of beards, but her fingers were practically itching to bury themselves in that luxurious mane.

As if he’d sensed her staring, which he probably had, he looked over, their eyes meeting across the lobby. Her lumberjack lifted a hand in greeting, and she found herself waving back, almost in a trance.

“Michelle?”

Jumping in place with a surprise squeak, Michelle spun back around to her girlfriend, who was watching her with an amused smirk. “What? Sorry. I, um, got distracted.”

“I just bet you did.” Allie jerked her head towards the lumberjack, who had gone back to the task of moving the tree through the halls. “Hot, huge, and ginger. Just like you like them. Didn’t think you were into beards, though.”

“I’m not. But I could be for him.”

“Hey, Erika,” Allie called over her shoulder. “Who’s the hottie lumberjack?”

Walking up behind them, Erika sighed dreamily. “That’s Nick. He owns a Christmas tree farm a few miles from here, and he supplies the Ranch with all our trees for the holidays.”

“Oh my god.” Closing her eyes, Michelle pinched the bridge of her nose. “Did we just walk into a Hallmark movie?”

“Sounds like it,” Allie confirmed with a giggle.

“He plays here sometimes. I could, perhaps, arrange for him to be playing the same nights as you, Michelle.” Grinning, Erika gave her an exaggerated wink. “If you’d like.”

“You’re as bad as this little brat,” Michelle grumbled, shooting them both a glare. But the butterflies were back in her stomach, as active as ever at the thought of being completely at the mercy of such a man.

“Make it happen,” Allie whispered loudly.

“Erika, I think we’ll be heading to our room now. Apparently, my girl could use a reminder as to who is really in charge here.”

“Absolutely. Allie has all the instructions. Oh, and there’s a gift shop over there, if you realize you’ve forgotten anything. We have just about every implement or toy you could want.”

“Hey! I thought you were on my side!”

Grabbing her girl’s hand, Michelle dragged her down the hall towards their room. “Come on, Allie-girl. Let’s see what the Ranch has in store for us.”

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