Kit (A Little Christmas Season Three)

Chapter 7

7

Kit

P arker without the beard, wig and false stomach made my jaw drop.

He was gorgeous. Tall and lean, with wavy brown hair that curved just right. He had flat cheeks and a strong chin. Right out of my dreams.

My first thought: how could I have missed this guy? If he was a regular at the club, why didn’t I see more of him? And a daddy? Surely he had visited the littles playroom.

He was such a daddy, too. Strong vibes there. He immediately said he’d pay for the meal, though I had money. I was perfectly capable as well.

But being put in the position of letting him do that caused my little to surface with glee.

I ordered a burger and fries, my little’s favorite meal other than a hot dog. And fries. I also ordered a Coke, checking to see if Parker would comment on that very sugary drink. He said nothing.

When the waiter left, I couldn’t keep my questions back. “If you’re a regular at the club, how have I missed you?”

“Maybe we go on different nights?” he suggested.

I shrugged.

“But I will admit I haven’t been as frequent this past year.”

“Why not?”

“I enjoy it, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “But business has been busy, and I’ve been trying to pursue my hobby more.”

“What hobby?”

“Acting.” He grinned. “I used to do it more when I was just out of college. Community theater. Dinner theater. Not much, but it was fun. I’ve been auditioning again. I did a play a few months back. Five performances. Then we were done. But it’s rehearsals that take up time.”

“So that’s why you’re such a good Santa Claus. You’re a real actor.”

Parker laughed. “I guess anyone who tries is a real actor. But Santa is my first paid gig.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.” He bowed his head. “It figures. Me in a Santa suit at a kink club. How’s that going to look on a resume?”

I giggled. “Looks good to me.”

“So, what do you do, Kit?”

I started telling him the whole, long boring thing about my tech job. Not that I hated it. But it was a job and that was that.

Then he told me about his.

With that stuff out of the way, we could move on. At last.

“Do you have hobbies?” Parker asked.

“If you count collecting stuffies and coloring books, then yeah.” Wow. That sounded boring.

“It counts.” Parker paused. “Sorry you lost your toy last night.”

“I didn’t lose it. Nicky stole it and then told his daddy it was part of the playroom’s selection and for everyone.”

“Didn’t you set him straight?”

I shook my head. “George wouldn’t believe me. I’m known as trouble. I can’t be trusted. It’s been hampering my dating life like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Care to elaborate?” he asked. “I have an open mind.”

My cheeks heated. Would he judge me, too? I had to tell the truth to Parker. I couldn’t start anything with him on a lie. I plunged ahead.

“I got into a fight with another little last year. We were playing cars, and he got mad and messed our racetrack and grabbed my cars. I tried to grab them back and we rolled on the floor, kicking and yelling. He threw one to keep it away from me and it hit Colin’s boy, Maddy, only Maddy wasn’t Colin’s boy at that time. I got in trouble and banned for a month. No one will let me forget it.”

“That’s quite a story. I’m sorry that happened.”

I frowned. “I guess after last night with Nicky, you maybe think it keeps happening. Like it’s possibly my fault. But honest, I don’t know why they pick on me.”

“I didn’t hear about that, but like I said, I’ve been scarce here for a while.”

“But when do you come? I haven’t seen you in the playroom.”

“Off nights. Like weekdays. If I am free.”

“I mostly come on weekends, so that’s why I don’t know you.” I sighed. “But I still can’t figure out why they pick on me.”

“Hmm. That’s something to think about.”

“Yeah.”

Just then the waiter brought our food. I munched some fries, which were hot and delicious.

Parker spoke. “I think sometimes boys pick on other boys because they’re jealous.”

“Jealous? Of what? They have daddies. I don’t.”

Parker tilted his head, his brown eyes soft. “Well, you’re very pretty.”

My face got hotter.

“You say you have a lot of the daddies’ attention, just not the right ones. But the other littles don’t know that. All they might see is you getting your pick of the night. And maybe they wish they were you.”

Warm fuzzy feelings buzzed around in my chest after hearing all that. “I never thought of it that way.”

“No? I’m not always right, but it seems like with all the club dramas that go on including outside the little playroom, it could be a reasonable possibility.”

It made sense. “Thank you for saying that.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled, then took a huge bite of his burger.

I raised my eyebrows. “It sounds like you’ve experienced club dramas yourself.”

He swallowed. “Who hasn’t?”

“Well, I don’t want to be bad. It’s not on purpose. But if someone does something to me and I get mad, I don’t always think before I act.”

“What five-year-old does?” He dipped a fry in ranch dressing. “For that matter, what adult does?”

He had a point. I decided to be bold. “If you were my daddy and I was bad, would you discipline me?”

“Is that what other daddies would do?”

I nodded. “Some couldn’t wait.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Sometimes.”

“You will have to tell me. Because my way may not be like theirs.”

“What way is yours?”

“I think you need to be treated gently at first, so you can learn to trust. When I play, I don’t feel like I’m acting in a play. And discipline before we learn about how each other ticks is more like play-acting. For me, this is real.”

“Real?” No one had ever said that to me before. No one.

“Remember what you told me when you first sat in my lap at the Christmas party?”

I squinted, trying to get my brain to work. “I said a lot.”

“Well, I remember something that I thought was very important. You said quite distinctly that you need guidance but haven’t found it yet. I believe you mentioned you didn’t want it to be rough, but also not easy. And you told me you were about age five and needed more attention than you had been getting. Now do you remember?”

I nearly dropped my burger, which I had picked up and taken a big bite of. I gulped down the yummy goodness and said, “You remembered all that?”

Parker winked. “I’m an actor. I’ve got a pretty good memory for lines. Only those weren’t lines at all, were they? They were the truth.”

I nodded, taking a drink of my Coke, giving myself time to wrap my mind around the fact that he remembered so much about our first meeting. I had felt a connection to him that early on, too, but I didn’t know it was the same for him.

“I’m glad you told me the truth, Kit. I loved that your wish wasn’t a thing, or a mad hookup, or what I’d heard so much of that night from others. Yours was a deeper desire from the heart. You were looking toward a future wish, something you hadn’t found yet but wanted very badly.”

“You make me sound deep and tantalizing,” I teased.

“Just the truth.” He made his voice go deeper. “Santa knows.”

Those two words. My skin went hot all over.

I had a thing for Santa. This Santa. Then he said something even more magical.

“Do you have plans for Christmas?”

“Um.”

“Family? Friends?”

I was reeling. I could barely speak. Was he asking what I thought he was asking?

“Friends, maybe,” I squeaked. “My parents live on the other side of the country. I saw them at Thanksgiving. For Christmas they’ll be gone on a cruise.”

He scrunched his forehead. “A little shouldn’t be left all alone like that. Not on Christmas.”

I shrugged. What could I do?

“Kit, would you like to spend Christmas with me? My vacation time starts next week. And I have one more Santa gig at the club. That’s it. I’d really love to plan some fun things for us.”

I couldn’t believe it. Christmas. With Parker. Who I barely knew but already wanted to cling to as if he was meant to be my daddy.

“My vacation starts next week, too,” I replied softly. “For real, though? You’re asking me for real?”

“For real. I would love it if you have the time.”

“What about your family?” I asked.

“Only my mom is left. She already has plans to travel, just like your parents. I guess you get to a certain age and time in life where holiday cruises are the thing.”

I nodded vigorously.

“I have a brother, but he’s made plans to go to the mountains with friends,” he said. “I have an invitation for a Christmas Eve party from a friend. But I think I’d rather spend it with you.”

Christmas Eve! I was on the moon. My little couldn’t keep still. I bounced against the booth cushions. Out blabbed my little wishes before I could stop them. “You mean with stockings and a tree and Rudolph on TV?”

Parker looked affronted. “Well, of course. What else would I mean?”

“I don’t know.”

“We can have a great Christmas Eve dinner, too,” he added. “And I make great blueberry pancakes for Christmas morning.”

“Morning?” That meant he was expecting me to spend the night. Yes!

“Am I moving too fast?” he asked.

I bounced even harder. “No. I mean yes. Yes, to all of it.”

His eyes twinkled. His dimples, how merry. I was losing my mind just gazing at him like a lovestruck Santa fan.

Parker let out a long breath. “Good. I was worried.”

“About what?”

“You make me want to move too fast, sweetheart. The last thing I want to do is scare you away.”

I clapped my hands. “I’m not scared. Other things, but not that.”

Parker smiled.

I put my hands to my warming cheeks. “I can’t wait for Christmas to start.”