Santa Is A Sl*t (Holiday Hoemies #2)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

NICO

It’s been one week. Seven days.

And I haven’t gotten to say one word to Noel.

Besides Kane and Eve, we’ve all been giving each other space.

We’ve had a couple of meetings with the team at GroundUp, starting to put things in motion on the new project. I’ve enjoyed seeing the beginning stages.

I was shocked when Hart suggested that I should consider coming on board as an analyst for the project. He said my skills would be better put to use collecting data and using it to help ensure each stage of the process flows as smoothly as possible.

After he put the idea in my head, it’s been all I can think about. I finally feel like I might have a job where I’m happy with what I do again. Plus, I wouldn’t have to leave SantaScape.

I haven’t given him an answer yet. There are a few things I need to take care of before I can make my decision.

Christmas is days away and it’s not even close to being the happiest time of the year for me.

I miss them. All of them. I’m tired of the space between us.

That should change any minute now.

No sooner than the thought crosses my mind, there’s banging at my office door.

"Come in,” I say as I lean back in my chair and throw my feet up on the desk attempting to look relaxed.

Noel bursts through my door and I almost flinch from the bang it makes against the wall.

“Is this a joke?” She’s holding up what I believe is my most recent employee memo.

I shake my head disapprovingly. “Work is nothing to joke about, little elf.”

She narrows her eyes at my name for her. “Don’t call me that. And who do you think you are? A mandatory staff meeting? And you’re closing the place down early?”

I nod, acting as casually as I can. “I believe you understand the message. If that’s all, you really should be getting ready for your shift.”

Her eyes widen in anger as she throws her hands up. “Unbelievable. I thought you were Scrooge before. Now, I’m questioning if you’re Krampus.”

A demon. She’s calling me the demon of Christmas. I can’t help but chuckle as I remove my feet from the desk and stand, approaching her.

Gently, I guide her with an arm around her shoulders back to the door. “Mandatory means not optional, little elf. Now get to work.”

I close the door behind her and smile. Tonight will be fun.

_____

“Alright, boss. Everything is in place.” Kane tells me.

I’m standing in the middle of our largest conference room, observing all the finishing touches. It’s the same room that I stood in not too long ago as my uncle announced I’d be taking over for him.

Now, it’s a symbol of the future of SantaScape.

I look at Kane with a smile. “Thanks for all your help.”

“No problem. This place looks really fucking cool. Getting some prototype rush ordered was a great idea, Nico. And the displays with all the ideas for the first launch turned out awesome.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I say as I reach my hands up to grip each side of his face before kissing him.

His mouth is rough, and his lips even feel a little dry, but they move against mine with fevered need. When we break apart, he’s staring at me in shock.

“What was that for?”

“Because I miss you. And I’m done waiting. Tonight, you’re all coming home with me.” I wink as I walk away.

There are only a few more minutes before the employees should start filtering into the room and I want to watch their reactions.

I find a seat near the podium just as the DJ starts up the playlist.

Absurd remixes of classic holiday songs begin to fill the air as the doors open and bodies start to enter.

Their faces are filled with mixes of confusion and appreciation. Interest and awe.

The moment Noel enters the room, her eyes meet mine. The annoyance quickly fades away from her features as she wanders around the displays.

When I’m sure everyone is here, I signal for the DJ to fade the music out before stepping up to the podium.

I’m surprisingly nervous for as confident and excited as I’ve felt all day. I clear my throat before speaking.

“If I could have your attention for a moment, please.” The room quiets as my voice rings out across the room. “You might be wondering why I’ve forced you all to be here.”

There are a few nods of acknowledgment.

“Recently, I’ve had to make some tough choices in my role as your leader. I didn’t necessarily want to but I did what I thought was best for the company.”

I let that resonate in the room before continuing.

“I should have realized what my uncle did in all his years here. That you, the employees, are the best thing for the company. Some of you are working here as a second job or just for fun. Some of you have spent many holiday seasons with us. All of you are valuable and crucial to our goal of keeping SantaScape the best place for holiday entertainment.”

There are some eye rolls, people who don’t care for the praise I’m giving. Others are holding on for what I’m going to say next.

“That said, I need to be honest with you. SantaScape was in a worrisome position financially at the start of this season. I didn’t see how we were going to make it. So I started making cuts. If I’m honest, I was struggling with what I could do to help and I took the easiest route I could.”

I don’t like admitting faults, I imagine most people don’t but accountability is important.

“I’m happy to tell you that there will be more changes in the future and before anyone starts booing me,” I look straight into Noel’s eyes and she shrugs as if she might behave but could just as easily entice a riot.

“In the New Year, SantaScape will be re-organizing and re-branding. The displays you see around the room are just a few examples of our plans and the beautiful decorations around the room are courtesy prototypes from our partners in this initiative, Ground Up. We look forward to connecting with them to become the most sustainable and diverse holiday decor brand while continuing to provide our seasonal entertainment.”

A round of applause goes off throughout the room.

“Appetizers, pizza, and drinks will be available for the next hour. I hope you enjoy this small token of my appreciation for all you do.”

I might have caved on the pizza party but at least I was nice enough to serve it in addition to decent food.

I step down from the podium and walk through the room.

The hour passes by quickly and before I know it, the last of the employees are leaving for the night.

“That was impressive, Nico,” Eve tells me as she kisses my cheek.

I pull her in for a real kiss before saying, “It couldn’t have happened without you. Reaching out to Ground Up was brilliant.”

A slow clap starts nearby and I look over to see Noel watching us with a smile on her face. Kane is standing right beside her, looking giddy.

Noel speaks first, “Should we visit the sleigh again? Or maybe Rudolph’s house.”

“As interesting as that sounds,” I say. “The three of you are coming home with me tonight.”

We all exchange excited glances and I’m about ready to leave. There’s just one last thing I’ve been wanting to take care of.

Closing the space between us, I reach for the back of Noel’s head and bring our mouths together. I groan when her tongue pushes past my lips.

Breaking away, I toss her over my shoulder before reaching for my keys and walking towards the exit.

“Get your things and meet me out front,” I tell the other two.

The cleaning crew will be here any minute and I want to be out of the building before they arrive.

I meant it when I said I was tired of waiting.

Tonight, they’re all mine.