Reindeer Games (3 page)

didn’t really need money, since food and shelter were provided to everyone in the

village, nor did they need anything physical from the human realm. But they were

not averse to having certain things: more mature toys, trinkets, doodads, you name

it. Since neither Jannie nor Gus put a limit on what could be purchased—as long as

things didn’t get out of hand and the main job got done—the elves in acquisitions

could acquire pretty much anything they wanted. Since few of the other elves had

access to the computers that plugged into the human realm, that made Bok and his

fellows very busy and very popular. Bok, in particular, had a penchant for buying

adult sex toys and accessory items. There were a surprising number of women

among them who enjoyed them and enjoyed
him
, even if Bok was on the roly-poly

side.

“I’m not you,” Lon grumbled, staring at the paper before him.

Bok sat up and craned his head enough to get a look at the paper. “Not much

there.”

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11

Lon stared at the one line:
Dearest Rom
. Indeed, he’d not gotten far. “I’m not

sure what to say.”

Bok poked at the paper, nudging it slightly away from Lon. “That’s not the way

to say it.”

Lon slouched in his straight-backed chair. “Your way’s not the way to say it

either.”

“Mine gets right to the point.”

Lon slapped a hand over his eyes. “That’s not the point I want to make.”

“What
is
your point?”

Lon peeked at his friend between his fingers. Although he’d been craving Rom

for years, he’d only told Bok of it this season. Until recently, his longing had been

manageable. He was still a relatively young man. His sexual encounters up to this

point in his life had been brief and purely exploratory. He’d tried sleeping with

women, and although he found it enjoyable, it didn’t compare to the race of heat in

his veins when he was with a man. He simply preferred cock, just as his friend Bok

preferred pussy. Not a big deal among the elves, since they didn’t make the deal

about sexual orientation that humans did.

“I want…
more
.”

Bok studied him for a few seconds, then nodded sagely. “You want a

relationship.”

“Yes.”

“That’s for old people.”

Lon sat up, offended. “It is not.”

“It is too. Why limit yourself to one person? It’s not like we have to worry about

the things humans do.”

No. They didn’t have unwanted pregnancies or sexual diseases among them.

Couples of any pairing could request to have a child. When the time came, the

Reproductive Committee would either grant their wish or not, in order of

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Jet Mykles

application. Usually only those couples who wished to start a family would settle

down, and those couples tended to be older.

Still… “But what about love?”

Bok shook his head. “You’re such a romantic. You need to stop reading those

romance books.”

Lon crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s your fault.
You
got me the e-book

reader.”

“Yeah. My bad.” Bok shook his head. “Still, you could have set your sights on

someone…”

“Someone what?”

Bok’s gaze darted about the room rather than look at him. He shrugged.

“Someone…easier to get? I mean, come on—Rom’s got his pick of everyone. Why

would he settle for one?”

“Why would he settle for
me
?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Lon’s heart twisted as he sank low enough in his chair to rest his chin on his

chest. “I know. It’s hopeless. But I can’t help how I feel.”

Bok sat forward to slap a hand on the desk. “Then you just need to
do
it.”

“Do what?”

“Go to him. Tell him how you feel.”

“He’ll laugh at me.”

“Maybe. But he’ll probably fuck you before he lets you down easy.”

“Oh, you!” Lon stood up. “You’ve got a one-track mind.” When he saw the dildo,

he stopped himself from dropping onto the bed. Instead he turned in to the

bathroom.

“So do you!” Bok followed, stopping in the doorway. The pale green of the

bathroom walls made his hair look particularly vivid. “How do you know a good,

solid fuck couldn’t turn into something more? Stranger things have happened.”

Reindeer Games

13

Lon stared at himself in the mirror. He was so ordinary. Straight white-gold

hair with no curl to it whatsoever, ordinary blue eyes. His face was a little more

heart-shaped than most, his chin quite narrow over a long neck. His ears weren’t

the kind that stuck close to his skull; rather, the points stuck out like a cat’s. He’d

never had the courage to mark himself. No piercings or tattoos that were all the

rage these days. In a race of colorful, expressive people, he was just plain, ordinary

Lon. Little Lon, barely over four feet tall. Even Bok was an inch taller than he. Why

would
Rom even notice him, much less fall for him?

He whimpered and covered his face with his hands. “It’s hopeless.”

“Don’t think that way.” Bok’s arm slid around his shoulders. “Go talk to him.

You’ve got nothing to lose.”

“He might laugh at me.”

“He could. But then you’d figure out he’s a right bastard, and you’d get over

him.”

Lon punched his friend’s gut lightly. “Don’t say that. He’s not a bastard.”

“Then he’ll listen nicely, fuck you soundly, and send you on your way. If

nothing else, you’ll know what it feels like to be with him.”

Lon drew his gaze back up to the mirror. Bok had been his friend since they

were both in diapers. His crudeness often made Lon cringe, but he knew Bok was

firmly on his side. “Maybe you’re right.”

“’Course I’m right.” Bok walked Lon out of the bathroom. “You should talk to

him tonight after the team gets back. The reindeer are usually horny after a trip,

right?” Even though he worked directly for Santa, Bok, like most elves, had little

direct contact with the boss, much less the reindeer team.

“Yes.”

“Right.” Bok stepped away from him to pick up the dildo from the bed. “Take

this with you when you talk to him.” There was that wicked grin again. “It’ll help

make your point.”

14

Jet Mykles

Chapter Three

Be brave!

Despite his shy efforts, Lon couldn’t get close enough to talk to Rom at all, let

alone privately, that night after the team arrived. Rom was constantly surrounded

by friends, handlers, and admirers, as always. It was like fighting through a flurry

of snow in a stiff wind to get close to him. Perhaps not impossible, but

uncomfortable and difficult. Lon wallowed in the hopeless memory of the previous

night when Rom had been
right there
and paying attention.
Why
was Lon’s timing

so very bad?

To make matters worse, Lon had the blue dildo that Bok had given him stuffed

inside his jacket, a strange weight resting just above his belt. He kept trying to

adjust it inconspicuously, to keep the shape in a place where it couldn’t be noticed.

But having it pressed against his belly made him self-conscious.
Darn Bok and his

ideas
! How had he let Bok talk him into carrying it with him?

“
Just in case
,” Bok had said.

Lon should have known better. This close to the actual Christmas date,

emotions tended to ratchet up as everyone felt the spirit of the season in the human

realm begin to spill over into their own. It was the primary reason they were

compelled to do what they did: that seasonal high. It fueled their magic and their

very existence and made their lives worthwhile. Toward actual Christmas day, all

tensions were heightened. It made Lon’s longing for Rom all the more urgent, but

unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the only one.

Stashing the last harness on a shelf where he could retrieve it later, Lon

geared himself for one last try in Rom’s direction. Jannie had already spoken and

Reindeer Games

15

gone off with Gus. Soon the reindeer would be heading home. Lon grabbed a goblet

of vintage sleighberry wine. One of the few spirits purely from their realm, it was

sweet and mellow and packed quite a kick, thus its popularity with the reindeer

who tended to live as hard as they worked. Wine in hand, he began to maneuver

through the crowd, easily keeping the shine of Rom’s blue hair in sight over the

heads of all but a few of the others. Rom threw back his head to laugh at something,

and Lon caught a flash of the embroidered blue silk of a robe sleeve.
Almost there
.

He slid between two other handlers and danced around back of Yor and Tanty—

Donner and Vixen—and their own little crowds. Intent on his mission, he didn’t

notice Tik—boisterous Cupid—swing a broad arm back as he told a story. Tik’s

elbow clipped Lon’s right arm, jostling enough to loosen his hold on the goblet. Lon

had to juggle and spin to try to keep it from spilling. He managed, but bumped into

a support post, which tipped the goblet again. A small splash of wine wet the hay

beneath his pointed red shoes as he twisted to avoid another handler with a

matching goblet. Wide-eyed, they both cried out as they bumped each other and

ricocheted into their own spins. Help! Lon thought, suppressing a whimper as he

tried to bring himself to a halt, knowing he now had attention he hadn’t wanted.

Then disaster when someone trying to get out of his way managed to step on the

point of his shoe. His ankle twisted, and the goblet slipped from his hands as he

started to fall.

Started to fall—but didn’t land. A quick hand with caramel skin snatched the

goblet out of the air and righted it so quickly, only a few drops managed to spill over

the rim. At the same time, a strong arm caught Lon about the torso, saving him

from a crash to the ground. The arm curled Lon in toward the broad chest exposed

between the loose sides of a dark green embroidered robe.
Wod
. Of course it would

have to be Wod who caught him—literally—in such an embarrassing situation.

Lon’s face landed against Wod’s chest, his panting lips just level with one small,

light chocolate nipple. His hand splayed over the far side of Wod’s chest, his pale

skin so white against Wod’s darker hue.

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Jet Mykles

“Hey, little Lon.” Wod’s amused voice seeped through his skin directly into

Lon’s ear.

Lon suppressed a groan. Beyond his hand and Wod’s far arm, he could see the

crowd watching him. Worse, he saw Rom watching. Rom. Watching. Him. Wod.

Wod’s arm around him. His face masked against Wod’s bare skin. Wod’s nipple close

enough to nibble. Wod’s warmth oozing into Lon. This was
not
helping!

Wod squeezed Lon’s shoulder, inadvertently pressing him closer. “That was

quite a trip. You okay?”

Lon pushed away from Wod’s body, keeping his eyes downcast. He’d tripped

last night, as well. How embarrassing! “Y-yes, I’m fine.”

Wod chuckled, his arm trailing over Lon’s shoulders as applause erupted

around them.

“Well done, Wod!” a male voice yelled.

“Nice trip, Lon?” A woman laughed.

Lon shut his eyes and grimaced. Then his eyes popped back open when he

realized that he had both palms spread on Wod’s bare chest, with his gaze aimed at

Wod’s groin. When they’d been pressed together, the robe had held shut. But the

jostling of bodies had loosened the silken belt, and as Lon drew away, Wod’s robe

fell open to reveal his nudity. As well as the semierect status of his dark, gorgeous

cock. Embarrassed heat flooded Lon’s face and neck as he twisted out from under

Wod’s arm, freeing himself from that intoxicating circle of warmth. Around him,

more cheers and jeers. Of course he hadn’t been the only one to notice Wod’s state.

“Careful not to break him, Wod,” he heard.

A whistle. “Go for it, Lon!”

No no no
! This was all wrong. They couldn’t think that he… That Wod… Rom

would get the wrong idea! Head down, he backed away, clueless of what to do or say

to make things better. Hands patted his shoulders, others mussed his hair, and yet

Reindeer Games

17

others tried to push him back toward Wod. He shook his head, his pale hair

sheeting down to cover the panic on his face. He couldn’t fix this. Not now.

Without any other options, he turned on his heel, shoved through bodies, and

fled.

18

Jet Mykles

Chapter Four

I have to fix this
! After hiding in a corner of one of the toy warehouses for a few

hours, Lon had finally calmed down. Somewhat. His blood had stopped racing, and

the nonsensical erection that had bloomed in his trousers had faded. The mortified