Reindeer Sex Games (Red Velvet Christmas 9)

Reindeer Sex Games (Red Velvet Christmas)
Lacey Savage
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2013 Lacey Savage

Three years ago, Nikki had started a new tradition. She picked up a stranger on Christmas Eve, and rather than waking up to a barren apartment, she woke to a chiseled chest and an eager cock. Since her parents had both passed away nearly a decade earlier, and she had no other close family to speak of, her holiday one-night stand tradition worked for her.

No one else would understand, but then, she didn't need anyone to. She was used to the sympathy she saw in people's gazes when they realized she was alone on Christmas Eve. But heck, Nikki was willing to bet she ended up having more fun during the holidays than most of them did.

Nikki hung her coat on the hook by the front door and glanced around once more. Two middle-aged women huddled close together at a table in the middle of the room, talking in hushed whispers. An attractive African-American couple sipped beers without looking at one another. And Nikki would bet her last dime that the woman sitting on a man's lap in the shadowy corner of the bar was a prostitute. Her short, glittery skirt and killer heels gave her away. Who wore five-inch heels on a night when they were expecting thirteen inches of snow?

Nikki wiped her wet boots on the welcome mat before making her way to the other side of the pub, where the bartender, a short brunette with freckles dusting her button nose, spun a bottle in the air only to catch it behind her back.

Only three other people occupied the wooden stools, all men, and all unworthy of more than a cursory glance. Their dull, alcohol-blunted gazes were glued to the bartender's shirt, which strained and gaped slightly across her breasts when she moved.

Nikki chose an empty stool far enough away from the other patrons, and folded her hands in front of her.

"What can I get you?" The bartender, whose nametag read Vivian, set the bottle down and beamed a smile Nikki's way. It seemed genuine enough, but strained around the edges, and her blue eyes held that same hint of pity she'd seen on the concierge's face.

"Whatever you've got on tap is fine."

Vivian nodded, grabbed a frosted mug, and slid it under the tap. A moment later, a frothy stream of beer filled the container. Vivian stopped it with an expert flick of her wrist just as the foam reached the top of the mug, and pushed it across the bar's surface. It came to a stop in front of Nikki without a single drop spilling over the rim. Nikki wrapped her cold hands around the icy mug and took a sip of the bitter brew.

"Shot of whiskey. No ice."

The unexpected voice, smooth and velvety with a husky note, ratcheted Nikki's pulse up a few notches. She took another sip of her beer, but rather than glance up at the man now standing beside her, she watched Vivian instead. The woman's eyes had widened, and a faint blush crept over her cheeks. She reached for the bottle of whiskey behind her with one hand, while the other went to the top of her blouse and unhooked another button.

There was no pity in her gaze now. Just pure, unadulterated delight.

Nikki set her mug down and spun around slightly. Her knees brushed the newcomer's legs, drawing his attention. He glanced down at her, first in irritation, and then with unmistakable interest. Nikki's heart leaped in her chest.

Oh yeah. This was exactly what she'd been hoping for. The man was tall, easily six feet five, with dark hair that touched his shoulders and curled slightly inward. He sported a slight stubble that gave his lean cheeks a rugged appearance. His jaw was pronounced, his lips full, his eyes dark and intense. And his nose...

Nikki frowned. The tip of his nose was a deep shade of red. She shrugged inwardly, dismissing the oddity. Either he'd started drinking long before he got here, or he'd just come in from the cold. She was willing to bet her nose and cheeks had looked as red as his when she'd first walked in. The local weather forecaster had been calling for record lows tonight, and warning Bostonians to stay indoors. Not that she'd intended to listen. Having grown up in Grand Forks, North Dakota, she was no stranger to cold and snow.

"Beer, on a night like this?" He raised an eyebrow in the direction of her mug just as Vivian handed him his glass of whiskey. He barely acknowledged her as he took it, and the pout on her pretty face told Nikki that didn't happen often.

"Why not?" She matched his raised eyebrow with a lifted one of her own. "Let me guess. You're used to women who order hot chocolate and bitch about the cold."

He laughed, the sultry sound sending a flicker of awareness through her bloodstream. Her nipples pebbled beneath her turtleneck sweater.

"Something like that. Besides, I thought you'd want something that would warm you up. Something a little stronger. A little harder." He lifted his glass in a mock toast before draining it in one gulp. She watched his throat move as he swallowed, and her own mouth went dry.

Damn, but he really was gorgeous. He wore a heavy leather jacket over a white button-down shirt. Her gaze slid lower as she admired his lean hips and the way his dark jeans molded to his endlessly long legs before searching his left hand for a wedding ring. When she didn't spot one, she released the breath she'd been holding.

"I'm Nikki," she said, extending a hand.