All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

Chapter One

“M

EGABUS

,”

I whispered to myself as I handed the attendant my bag

and stepped in line to board. A weekend away from my family was the
best gift my parents could have given me for Hanukkah. Not that they
paid for the bus ticket or a place to stay, but they gave me the okay to
go and that was gift enough. I didn’t need their little bit of money
anyhow—just me and a few friends in New York City and I would be
content. Sure, if by chance I ran into to most beautiful girl in the world
and she happened to be rich and wanted to take me to bed, that would
be fine too. But for now, the cheap Megabus fare from Baltimore to
New York and crashing on Joey’s couch was cool by me. I snuggled
back into the semi-comfortable seat and closed my eyes.

The three hours went by fast and soon I was looking across the

Hudson River at the familiar skyscrapers. God, I love this city. I lived
here for three months last summer, but the cost of living was too high
and I really didn’t want to scrape by washing dishes merely to stay.
My dad raised me do the sensible thing; I went back to college.

Standing on the curb, bag at my feet and the cold air freezing my

fingers, I dialed Joey’s number. “Fuckin’ cunt.” He always addressed
me with such endearing adjectives.

“Hey, Joey. I’m here. Bus just got in. I’ll hop on the A train and be

at your place in a few.”

“Okay, man. See ya soon,” he answered. “We’re meeting Jack and

Tyler at Cassidy’s Pub in two hours.”

His urgency in that statement suggested I haul ass to his place or

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

I’d have no time to take a shower and get ready to leave. I said, “’K’,
bye” and snapped my phone shut. I had to shower before going out.
My luck, from the fact of just being me, I would run into my dream gal
and she’d be instantly put off by my manly stench, never to take me to
her bed and certainly never to pamper me with her millions. I had to
shower!

* * *

ASSIDY

’

Pub was a cool place. I remembered being here before. I

think it’s Jack’s favorite bar; I don’t know. It’s an Irish pub with
Guinness on tap and Notre Dame playing on every television. Not that
I cared much about college football, I just found it amusing how the
guys would get all wound up about going out and we’d end up here.
Like pretty, rich girls frequented Irish pubs when they’re looking for a
guy. Whatever.

“Oh, God! That was amazing,” Tyler exaggeratedly confessed as

he slid into his chair and leaned his head against the wall. Only five
minutes ago he walked toward the bathrooms with some tattooed
chick from the bar. Now he looked absolutely… no, wait—

“She didn’t do what I think she just did, did she?” I asked, leaning

forward on my elbows, eyebrows raised.

Tyler took a few seconds to regain control over his breathing,

and then he rolled his head in my direction and answered with a self-
satisfied grin, “Oh yeah, she did.”

“What?” I was completely shocked. “How the hell did she suck

you off back there? And without anyone noticing?” I’d seen the
hallway to the very small bathrooms, and there was no way they could
do that without being seen.

“I don’t know man, but she did.” He was the most relaxed I’d seen

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

in ages. Damn, I wish some girl would suck me off in a dark hallway.
“She had a tongue piercing too.” He grinned. Fucker!

Joey came walking back from the toilets. “Hey, there you are.” He

addressed Tyler. “I thought you got lost.”

“Lost? Dude, he was back in the hallway getting blown.” I shared

the news with only minimal jealousy. “I’m surprised you didn’t stop
on your way to pee and watch the whole thing.”

Joey nodded and grinned. “Niiice!” He and Tyler bumped

knuckles as some sort of congratulatory action. They could be so
immature at times. But then again, we were all about the same age
and immaturity was the very definition of twenty-something males,
right? I would have done the same if I wasn’t being a prude and
hoping for a centerfold model instead of some biker chick. God, I need
to loosen up.

“Anyway, look what I found.” Joey segued to another topic of

conversation by depositing a cell phone into the middle of the table.

“So?” Tyler shrugged.

“We could crank call people.” Joey explained.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I had to add in my sensibilities.

Joey gave me a look. “Of course you would say that, mom.”

I rolled my eyes. I was raised by a Jewish mother, what can I say?

“I’m only suggesting we could get into trouble.”

Joey scrunched up his face. “By who? We’re using someone else’s

phone. Who’s gonna know?” he asked. He flipped open the silver face
and contemplated. “Who do we call first?”

“What are we doing?” Jack asked as he walked up from the bar

and set three beers on the table. I was still nursing my first one.
Lightweight.
4

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“Crank calling someone on a phone Joey found in the bathroom.”

Tyler said, suggesting by his tone it was an everyday occurrence.

“Oh.” At least Jack was not impressed. “How about hitting one of

the speed dials and seeing who answers?” Or he was just too good at
coming up with better plans. Jack took a large swallow of his drink as
the other two slapped his back and bumped knuckles with him. This
night was taking on a weird dimension, and I was wondering exactly
why I agreed to go out with them?

“Well, which number do I push?” Joey hesitated.

“Just hit one.” Tyler was not as tentative. He reached across the

table and pushed a number blindly.

“Two,” Joey read off the number as he looked at the phone. He

lifted it to his ear. “It’s ringing.”

We all stared, as if mesmerized by the randomness of the

situation.

“Shit! Somebody answered.” Joey immediately pulled the phone

away from his ear and held it out like it would bite; his hand over the
microphone end. “Take it. Somebody take it.” He panicked.

“Pussy,” Tyler asserted, taking the phone from Joey’s hands. He

promptly thrust the live grenade into my personal space and held it to
my ear. “I bet Davey-boy can do it. He does anything.”

Shit! They always do this to me. “Hello… hello?” I could hear the

voice on the other end searching for a reply. It was a guy; a guy with a
super-deep voice. I cleared my throat and pleaded with my eyes to
Tyler to let me off the hook. He shook his head no, crossing his beefy
arms over his broad chest.

“Um, hello,” I responded to the stranger hoping he would not

detect my anxiety.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“This is not Oliver,” he stated the obvious with some amusement.

“Um, no, we found his phone.” I explained, holding it away from

my mouth and using my unhappy facial expressions to let Tyler know
I was going to kill him for making me do this. Tyler pushed my hands
back and prompted me to continue. Joey was trying, unsuccessfully,
not to snicker.

“I see,” the stranger said. “Then why call me? Surely you do not

know the services I provide?” Did he just say what I thought he said?
Services? Shit! Did Tyler randomly dial a male hooker?

“Er, no, I didn’t. I, um, my friends, they just pushed a speed-dial

number and you answered. I’m not interested in any services.” Now I
know he could detect my anxiety. I was sure my voice went up at least
three octaves.

“Services?” Jack’s mirth was not so funny. He and Joey just

looked at one another and started laughing so hard I could barely hear
the guy on the other end of the phone.

I gritted my teeth. “Shut up, you asshole.” I took my hand away

from the microphone after I cleared my throat. Nerves of steel, nerves
of steel, I told myself. “So, um, this Oliver guy, do you know where I
might find him and return his phone?”

“I do. Although he said he’d be out of town for a week or two. I

could… meet you, somewhere… and retrieve his phone. Oliver and I
see each other often; I could hold it for him until he returns.”

I swallowed hard. What was I going to do? I had to give it back,

didn’t I? It was the right thing to do, even if I was scared shitless to
meet up with a male hooker. I only hoped he didn’t try anything. “Um,
yeah, okay. Where do you want to meet up?”

“Meet up?” Joey’s eyes popped out of his head. “What are you,

fuckin’ nuts?”
6

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

I shushed him. “Um, me? I’m at Cassidy’s on 55

Street.”

Tyler slugged my arm. “What the fuck are you doin’, man?” He

did not look too happy with me for divulging our whereabouts.

I pulled the phone away from my mouth again. “I gotta give it

back.”

“You don’t have to do anything, David. Joey found it in the

bathroom. I say we stick it back in there and forget about it.” He stood
up and tilted back his pint. The rest of his stout slid down his throat,
and he slammed the glass back down. “End the call, Davey.” He was
stern. I hate stern—it makes me all jittery!

“Look, um, I gotta go. I can just give the phone to the bartender

and tell him you’ll pick it up.” I got looks of disapproval from all
around, but I just didn’t feel right putting it back in the bathroom.

“David,” the stranger prompted, “I am not far from Cassidy’s. I

could meet you outside in a few minutes.”

“I—wait, how did you know my name?” I was surprisingly calm

as I asked that question.

“I could hear your friend through the receiver. I have excellent

hearing, and pulling the phone away from your mouth and covering it
with your hand is not enough to keep the conversation private.”

“Oh.” Suddenly I felt like a dick. Why? I hadn’t done anything

wrong. I was the good one of the group.

“I will meet you outside in ten minutes,” he said confidently. “I

am sure Oliver will be pleased that you returned his phone.”

“Um, yeah, okay. Ten minutes. Bye.” I snapped the phone shut

and looked into the faces of my friends. They looked at me as if I
committed treason. “What?” I asked innocently with a shrug, holding
out my hands.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“You’re such a dork, David,” Tyler accused. “Why the hell did you

agree to meet that guy?”

“What?” I still didn’t see it as a big deal. I return the phone to this

guy, end of story. “It’s no big deal.”

“Fine. But you’ll be doing it alone. I’m not gettin’ arrested for

male prostitution.” Tyler got up and his cronies followed.

“Now you’re all against me?” I looked from Jack, to Joey, and to

Tyler in hopes that someone would tell me they were just joking, that
this was all just a scam to rag on me for being a Mr. Goody Two-Shoes.
I waited for Joey to tell me they’d stand on the sidewalk with me and
hand Oliver’s phone to the strange guy we speed dialed and that
would be the end of it. But no, I got incredulous looks from all around.
“Assholes,” I muttered as I grabbed my coat and pulled it on.

* * *

UTSIDE

, I watched my so-called friends disappear up the street. They

were headed to O’Leary’s, another pub a several blocks away. I was
going to join them as soon as I handed over Oliver’s property to his…
well, whatever the guy was. Hell, I didn’t even ask his name. I was
wishing this was all a dream when I heard someone behind me say my
name. “David?”

I spun around. Who I saw was nothing like I expected; my height,

slender, late twenties maybe, well dressed, short hair spiked up in the
front, determined gaze, hot as fuck. Okay, maybe he was what I
expected, but his appearance still caught me off guard. “H-hi.” I
extended my hand. Why I stuttered, I will never know.

He shook my hand and offered his name without prompt.

“Nicholai.”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“Nicholai,” I repeated softly, as if surprised to meet someone

with that name. He held my hand longer than normally accepted, and
yet I didn’t protest. His eyes raked over me, and I felt a tinge of fear
mingled with heat and desire course through my veins.

Fuck! It’s like his eyes can see straight into my soul. I swallowed

the lump in my throat. I thrust the phone into his palm as soon as he
let go of my hand. “Here. That’s Oliver’s phone.” I stuffed my hands
into my pockets and looked away fast, staring at the ground and
hoping he’d leave as quickly as he appeared.

“Thank you,” his smooth voice washed over me. “He is a

generous man, my friend Oliver, I’m sure he will compensate you for
your kindness.” His dark eyes steadily observed but didn’t judge my
fretful shifting from one foot to the other.

“Um, no, that’s okay. I don’t need anything.” I just wanted to get

away. My abnormal attraction to guys was not going to take over. No
one knew I had homosexual fantasies, and no one was about to find
out, least of all this guy! “That’s okay. Just tell him not to lose it again.”
I turned to leave and he said my name again.

“David.”

I felt my breath catch in my throat. Oh, God. My knees are going

weak. There’s no way I can do this. I turned around and he was
standing right there, very close, with a knowing kind of smirk on his
all-too-nice-looking face. “I-I don’t need your-your services.” I couldn’t
help sounding scared. I never had such a strong attraction to a guy
before, and I wasn’t sure if I could resist if he poured on the seduction.
Fuck! Why did I let my friends go to O’Leary’s ahead of me?

“Services? What kind of business do you think I do?” he asked

curiously.

“Um, I-I don’t know?” I looked away, hoping the darkness and

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

yellow streetlights would hide my blushing cheeks. “Things that… s-
serve?”

He chuckled. Great. He either read my mind or noticed the look

on my face. “I’m flattered, really, but I am not a hustler. I am a broker.
Oliver is a client of mine, but I deal with his money, not his sexual
preferences.”

Oh shit! This was the mix-up of the century! What a debacle. “Oh,

man. I am so fuckin’ sorry. I didn’t mean to assume that… oh, shit!” I
stammered, feeling like a complete twat. Then Nicholai stepped closer
still and my insides seized. His eyes bored into mine and his fingers
grazed my chin. I was powerless to look away.

Nicholai licked his lips. “There is no need to apologize,” he

whispered, that deep voice of his acting like liquefied magma rolling
over my nerve endings and eliciting desires I never knew I had. (Okay,
maybe I knew I had them, but my body never reacted to someone like
this. It was intense.) “It was a misunderstanding. However, I would
not be opposed to having dinner with you.”

It was all I could do to keep myself from leaning forward and

kissing his wet lips. “Um, dinner?” I squeaked out. Stupid girly voice
again!

“Yes, tomorrow night. My place. Wear something… comfortable.”

He breathed out as he spoke and I could feel his warm breath caress
my skin. As if he read my mind again, he closed the space between us.
I shut my eyes tightly as his lips touched mine. I shook. Warm, soft lips
that tasted like spearmint confidently moved over mine in a way I
never experienced in the past.

Kissing girls was different. I was always the aggressor. The man

was expected to make the first move, and when I met girls at parties,
I’d kiss them whenever I knew I wouldn’t get slapped in return. (Come

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

to think of it, I got slapped a lot.) Girls were soft. Girls were a tease.
Girls were to topic of every conversation me and my buddies had. No
guy I knew talked about kissing another guy. No fuckin’ way! For
years I thought there was something wrong with me for even
considering it.

I had a pal in high school who got teased constantly for being

gay. Tony Soriano. I liked him. But after seeing the way he got treated,
I had my mind dead set on getting with a girl. I didn’t want to go
through that. I ignored how I felt though high school and into college
and tried to convince myself girls were the right way to go.

But not now.

One touch of Nicholai’s lips and I was positive that this was what

I always wanted. It felt so good, so right. His tongue swiped across my
lips as he kissed me one last time and pulled away. I almost
whimpered. To feel his tongue tease my lips and not have a taste was
just wrong. God, I want to kiss him again.

Then it registered what he said before the kiss. Dinner!

“Tomorrow?” I asked weakly.

“Yes. My place. That is, unless you prefer a restaurant.” He slid

his fingers over my cheek and I could barely respond.

“Um, tomorrow i-is… Christmas Eve.”

He titled his head to the side. “Oh, I completely forgot. Perhaps

another night then, whenever you are not celebrating your Savior’s
birth.”

“Mine? No.” I almost laughed, but even my mother would have

scowled at that behavior. “I’m Jewish, nominally so at least. My friend
Joey’s Catholic. He was gonna try and drag me to Mass tomorrow
night like he does every year.”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“I will not keep you. I am sure we can come up with another day

to—”

“No!” I had to interrupt. Just the thought of waiting to see him

again because I went to church seemed like a sin to me. “It’s okay. I
don’t want to go anyway. I’d love to meet you for dinner.” That was
the fastest I ever heard myself jump at anything! Here I had just met
him, and Nicholai had me turning into butter. Who knew what I’d
agree to tomorrow if he tried to take his kiss a little further?

He smiled again. His now familiar half-smile, kind-of like a smirk,

which I knew was permanently painted on his lips to hide his teeth
and make any recipient eagerly anticipate what he might be thinking
or what he might say next, made me tremble. I loved that smile. I
wanted to see what other sorts of looks I could garner from this man,
and I wanted it to be soon.

“Good. But I will have to warn you: if you whimper like that

when I kiss you tomorrow night, I may not be able to stop myself from
fucking you into the next morning.”

He kissed me again and turned to walk away. There was loud

music and laughing behind me as someone was leaving the bar. I was
no longer alone on the sidewalk with Nicholai and I felt disappointed.
Angry even.

That tiny peck left me wanting. Not to mention the implications

of what tomorrow night’s activities would be. “How will I find you?” I
called after him.

He turned to me with that devilish grin. “I slipped my card in

your pocket. Call me.”

And with that, he was gone.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

Chapter Two

STARED

at the business card in my hands: “Nicholai Markoff, Broker”

written in center and his phone number and address, printed below.
There was no way I could wait until later today to call. I grabbed my
phone.

“Hello.” One word and I was quivering.

“N-Nicholai?” Okay, this stuttering has to go!

“David.” He sounded pleased to hear my voice. “I thought you

would sleep longer so you would have energy for this evening.”

My stomach flipped. He had to remind me. “Um, yeah, about

that….” How could I explain my trepidation over the phone? I felt like I
might throw up right here in Joey’s bed.

“You’re scared. It’s your first sexual experience, and you don’t

want to me think any less of you.”

Somehow, his wording my thoughts as a statement rather than a

question made me feel defensive. It should have been easier to talk to
him if he already knew why I was nervous, but it wasn’t. “Hey! I never
said I was a virgin!” Damn, my voice squeaked again. No way he would
believe I was mad if I couldn’t keep my normal octave from breaking
into soprano. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I never said I—”

His deep chuckle stopped my words. I couldn’t be mad when I

just loved the way his laughter sounded. “David. Don’t be so self-
conscious. Whatever experience you have or lack will not matter with
me. As soon as I heard your voice through Oliver’s phone I knew I had

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

to have you.”

“What?” That jumped my heart rate just a little.

“I want you, David. “ His voice was liquid seduction, husky and

hushed. “I want to fuck you. I want to taste you. I want to hear you
whimper my name when I make you come. And if you’re not ready
tonight, that’s fine. I can wait. You will find that I am a very patient
man.”

“Me? Why me?” I found myself asking. Just the thought of his

words had me stroking my dick through the sheet. Nobody ever said
things like that to me before. And I could not deny I was hoping he’d
say something like that all along.

“I will explain it when you’re ready to hear it. For now, just come

to the address on my card around six. All right?”

“Okay,” I breathed, my hand gripping myself harder. No, the

sheet was too bothersome. I kicked it off and slipped my palm inside
my waistband.

“And David…” Nicholai paused, and I felt myself hold my breath,

stroking harder, waiting to hear the next phrase. “Don’t waste all your
lust beating off. I want to taste some of that hot liquid on my tongue.”

“Ahhh,” I whimpered again. I couldn’t help the sticky mess that

filled my hand inside my briefs as he said those words. Oh, God, he
knew. He knew what I was doing while I was on the phone with him.
“Nicholai,” my whispered confession got cut off by Joey’s voice outside
my door.

“Hey, butthead, you awake yet?” He pounded his fist on the door.

“You stole my bed, bitch.” I could hear him shuffle away. The walls
were thin and Joey was not a quiet sort of person.

“I gotta go,” I said urgently, and I snapped my phone shut. I hated

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

hanging up on him. It was rude. But Joey finding out what I was doing
in his bed was the last thing I wanted to have happen. I pulled my
hand free of my underwear and hoped I could make it to the bathroom
without Joey noticing.

* * *

FTER

the shower, I found Joey in the living room watching The

Vampire Diaries. Vampires. Something I could never really get into.
Zombies, yes. Vampires, no. Luckily he didn’t say a word until after I
ate.

“Who the hell’s Nicole?” He blurted out without taking his eyes

from the TV screen.

“Nicole? What do you mean?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.

“Yeah. I figured you musta hooked up last night, that’s why you

never made it to O’Leary’s, and then I heard you in there this morning,
saying something about Nicole. You said, ‘Nicole, I… something’. I
couldn’t hear you. So, who’s she?”

“Nobody.” I really wanted to get him off the subject.

“Okay. Whatever. How was meeting the creepy phone guy? Was

he really a hooker?” He snickered from the couch.

“Shut up.”

“Did he offer you his services?”

I flung my slipper at him. “I said shut up.” I was getting angry.

Joey never saw me angry.

“Fuck, dude, I’m just messing with you.” He flipped the channels

during the commercials.

“Sorry.” I started to pace. I really didn’t want to talk, but I had to

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

talk. Joey was going to find out eventually since I was not going to
Mass tonight with him and Jack. “I’m not going with you tonight.” I
came out with it.

He looked up from his program. “What? I haven’t asked you yet,

Tradition has me asking, you saying no, us arguing and then you
coming with me to Mass whether you want to or not. You can’t fuck
with tradition by saying no first.”

“I’m saying no. I have a date.” Confession time was going to be

painful no matter when it was. Now was as fine as any.

Joey surprised me as he leaped off the couch and landed in front

of me in two seconds flat. “A date? What? With who? Nicole?”

Oh, God, I hate to lie to him. “Yes, Nicole. Dinner at six. Her place.”

“Shit! When were you going to tell me?” He slapped my bare

chest with the back of his hand. It stung a little.

“I just told you.”

“Damn. You have a date. Little Davey has a date,” he mocked.

“Fuck you, Joey.” I could not bear to hear more insults. Tyler was

by far the worst (or best) at making me feel like a backwards hick
with no finesse towards women. “I get plenty of pussy; you guys just
aren’t around to witness it.” I shoved him away and walked back into
the kitchen.

Joey followed. “David. I’m sorry. I never see you with anybody. It

just… I thought maybe you were….” He was waffling. “You know what?
I’m glad you have a date, man. Let me know how it goes.”

Joey’s sudden seriousness made me rethink getting mad. He

really was an all-right guy. But now was not the time to tell him I was
probably gay and going on a date with a guy—the creepy phone guy!

The thought of Nicholai sent a buzz through me. He was

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

definitely not creepy. He was amazing. Gorgeous. Mouth-watering. I
felt myself getting hard again.

“It’s okay, Joey. I’ll let you know how it goes.” I placed my hand

on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “And if I don’t come home
tonight, please don’t call.”

He laughed out loud. “Okay, you got it!”

* * *

ISH

did not come soon enough. I paced. I showered. I paced some

more and then showered again. I was more nervous than a long-tailed
cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Okay, that was my grandma talkin’;
she always said corny stuff like that. Point is, I was nervous all day.
And in the shower, I more than whimpered Nicholai’s name. I moaned
it. My head was resting against the tiles of the shower as I rinsed off
for the third time this afternoon. Nicholai warned me to save some for
him. Oh God! The thought finally sunk in, we were going to have sex.
SHIT! I’ve never had sex before. Not with a guy! It was gonna hurt.

I had to experiment, at least a little. I reached behind me and ran

my finger over my asshole. I can handle that. It was like washing my
ass. Water streaming over the hole, my fingers sliding over the
opening with soapy bubbles. Yeah, that was fine. Then I tentatively
pushed one digit in. Tight. One finger wasn’t really that bad, but if his
dick was thicker, and gosh, it better be, I was going to have to work a
few more in to get myself ready. I soaped up again and tried two.
Ouch. Who the hell does this?

I extracted my fingers and decided to let it go. If he wanted to

fuck me, then he’d have to get me ready. Twisting myself like this was
ridiculous, and I was going to throw my shoulder out of the socket
trying to fuck myself standing in the shower.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

I got out, toweled off, and got dressed. If I was early, he’d just

have to deal. I was not going to suffer the long wait any more.

Nicholai Markoff, here I come. (And with any luck, more than

once.)

* * *

HREE

TEN

TREET

never looked so good. I walked down the

sidewalk and looked up at the fading blue sky. It was getting dark.
Definitely winter, definitely chilly, but somehow I felt myself
humming like it was the first day of spring. My heart felt light and I
skipped a few times. And then I remembered I wasn’t a fourteen-year-
old girl, and I walked more manly. My hands were in my coat pockets,
and my heels were firmly planted with each step. I neared his building
and couldn’t breathe. Shit! Maybe I was a fourteen-year-old girl.

Nicholai opened the door to his apartment before I knocked.

His appearance took my breath away. This time he was not

shadowed in half-light from the streets and bars. He was in full
fluorescents, and I could see every detail on his flawless face.
Beautifully clear white skin, high cheekbones, and deep-set brown
eyes so dark they could be mistaken for black. (But they couldn’t
really be black, that would be way too sinister.) And I was right, he
was gorgeous. In fact, he was the hottest-looking man I ever saw in
real life. Something about his grin reminded me of that show Joey
watches: The Vampire Diaries. Nicholai had the strong confidence I
noticed in one of the characters. But fuck, that was an actor. Nicholai
was real. I don’t know why I was thinking about that anyway.

“David, please, come in.” He bid me enter with a sweep of his

arm. His dark eyes twinkled. Weird. I almost swore I saw them flash
silver.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

I entered and quickly shed my coat. If I was going to be sweating,

no need for it to be over wearing too much clothing. Nicholai took it
and hung it on an old-fashioned coat rack. Cool. You don’t see too
many of those around.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked as he removed a glass from

the counter and opened the fridge.

“Yes, please.” I didn’t care what he poured. I was parched. I may

be drooling on the floor as I stared at his ass, but my throat was dry.

“Do you like what you see?” He asked smugly.

How did he know? “How did you know I was…?”

He turned a devilish grin my way. “Because I would have been, if

you had turned around.” His answer made complete sense.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had done this

all my life. Whenever a guy turned around, I looked at his ass right off.
That is not something a straight guy would do. And as I talked to a guy
here and there at school, I always found myself listing his good and
bad qualities just to rationalize why I wasn’t gay. Every guy I ever did
that with ended up having a horrible “bad” list, and I settled on that
being the reason why I wasn’t gay.

But now, standing here with Nicholai, I was not sensing that “I’m

not gay” feeling at all. I was fully aware of my dick pulsing in my pants,
and I was not about to apologize for it. I wanted him. Maybe not with
the same intensity as he said he wanted me over the phone this
morning, but I definitely wanted him. If that made me gay, okay.
Consciously, I was ready to accept it.

When I came out of the little daydream I was having over my

sexuality, I noticed Nicholai staring. His eyes were like little flames,
burning my skin and igniting that desire I had yet to let loose. He set
the glass down and walked over to me with determination and heated
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All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

intent. I had no time to flee. Nor did I wish to. In seconds he went from
reading my mind to grabbing me around the waist and pulling me into
a hungry kiss. This was not the soft teasing brush of lips I felt last
night. No. This was full on passion and lust.

I felt one hand squeezing my ass and holding me tight up against

him, and his other hand was on the back on my neck making sure I
was not going to move away. Like I would! Nicholai’s tongue pushed
into my mouth and I whimpered. I know I shouldn’t have, but it was
not something I could have stopped if I even thought about it. Feeling
his tongue demand my response was overwhelming. I had to
whimper. I had to moan. This man was incredibly talented with that
little organ. (Was it an organ? Somehow, the definition escaped me.)
The way he slid it in and around my mouth made me want to beg him
never to stop. I clutched at him, sliding my palms up his chest and
onto his shoulders. The thin frame beneath his black, button-up
Armani shirt was hard, muscular, and something I wanted to explore
every inch of as soon as I had the chance.

As if he read my mind again, he broke the kiss. “Do you want to

eat dinner first?” He asked as he nipped my neck. “Or do you want to
start with dessert?”

“Dessert,” I moaned.

He snickered and bucked his hips into mine. Oh, God, is he hard!

His erection pressed against mine and he growled. I’ve never been so
turned on.

He pulled back again, and I begged him with my eyes not to let go

of me. “Shhh.” He quieted me with a finger to my lips. His fingers
gently pulled my polo shirt out of my jeans and lifted it over my head.
His teeth grazed my nipple as his hands worked on my belt. Why did I
wear a belt? I held on, my hands rubbing his back and then threading
through his soft brown hair. I was going to explode. This was way too
20

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

intense.

Before I knew what was happening, Nicholai had pushed my

pants down and was dropping to his knees. In once fluid motion, he
had my cock engulfed in the wet heat of his mouth. I gasped and
clutched his hair. His head bobbed up and down and he sucked me in.
I never thought a tongue could feel so good. Sure, I had had this done
to me before, but that was back in high school and my first year in
college. Nicholai was not an inexperienced teenage girl; he was a man,
and his experience seemed to be loads from where I stood, my knees
melting and my heart about to stop beating any second.

It didn’t take long. He was first-class at what he did, and I was

not used to holding anything in. I shot. Lots. And Nicholai swallowed it
all down. Damn, that was hot!

Breathless, I released my hold on his hair so he could stand. “I’m

sorry. I didn’t last long.”

He grinned at me wide enough that I could actually see a few

teeth this time. “Don’t think on it.” He waved off my embarrassment. “I
will have you coming again soon enough. You were nervous, and I
wanted you to relax. You feel better, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah.” Give me a man who said he didn’t feel better after a

blowjob, and I will show you a liar.

“Good. Come. I want to make love to you properly.”

He led me to his bedroom where he removed his shirt slowly. I

sat on the bed like a puppy waiting for my master to come over and
pet me. For my master he was. I knew it. He had me wanting him from
the moment his lips touched mine on the sidewalk in front of
Cassidy’s. Every part of me craved him, and he knew it.

His body was as flawless as his face. Perfect skin stretched over

tight muscles with only a touch of hair trailing below his navel. He was
21

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

so beautiful.

Then there was me. Not so muscular, hairy as any descendant of

Abraham could be, Brillo pad hair, with a big honkin’ nose, and…

Okay, maybe my nose wasn’t too bad for being a Jew, but still, I

was hairy and I was not the prettiest guy in the world, and my curly
hair was a mess if it grew too long, and—

Nicholai stopped me dead in my ruminations of self-loathing.

“Stop it.” He threw his shirt into a chair. Undoing his belt, he sauntered
over to me. “I can hear what you are thinking as if you were yelling it.”
He shoved his dress pants down his yes-they-were-perfect thighs and
stepped out of them to climb on top of me. He pushed me back onto
the bed and pressed his skin against mine. “You are delicious just as
you are.” He said, quite determined that I believe him for his words.

His hand slithered down my flesh and then back up. He kissed

my neck and throat and continued kissing me as he moved down my
body. I sighed. This was the most incredible feeling of my entire adult
life. When he suckled my hip I had to giggle. I wiggled, and he still
drew my skin into his mouth with enough pressure to leave a mark. I
laughed harder and tried to squirm away, but his hands held me still.

“That tickles! You’re killin’ me!” I said.

His low chuckle told me he enjoyed driving me wild. “Roll over.”

He nudged my hip with his hand. “Crawl further up the bed and lie on
your stomach.” He removed his boxer briefs and revealed quite a nice
sight.

The pit of my stomach flipped again, but I did as he asked.

Soothingly, Nicholai crawled up my body and nuzzled in my hair

as he spoke. “Don’t be anxious, my love, I won’t hurt you.” I felt his
erection sliding up and down my crack. I knew he wanted more, but
for now he was enjoying the skin-on-skin contact. Then he kissed his
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All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

way down my back. I felt his teeth graze my hip. I jumped. He kissed
further down and nipped at my buttocks. The sensations were making
me heart race and my dick leak.

He was making his way back up when I felt him nip my shoulder.

Harder this time. Deeper. “Aaah,” I cried, this time out of pain. His
hand moved around my hip and grasped my growing erection. This
distracted me from the pain of his bite, but not enough to keep my
thoughts from returning to it. “You bit me!” I could not help but point
out the obvious. He bit me. In fact, he was still biting me. I felt his
tongue swirling over my skin where his teeth remained imbedded. He
suckled there at the same time his grinding hips became more urgent.

His hand released my shaft and glided over my ass to where his

cock was waiting not-so-patiently. I felt fingers test my opening. This
distracted me from his bite. No matter how nervous I felt when I was
thinking about this very thing in the shower earlier today, I was so
ramped up on doing it now that I found myself helping him out. I lifted
my hips and spread my legs wider. I was so fuckin’ on edge, he could
probably hear my heart pounding like a jackhammer inside my chest.

How he had lube in his hand I will never know, but I was not

thinking all too clearly anyway. I felt him slick my puckering hole and
slide one finger inside.

“Ahhh….” Damn my whimpering self! But the pressure and

burning sensations did nothing to keep me from pushing back on his
finger. I swear I heard him growl again. Then there were two fingers
in my ass. Sliding, pumping, probing the inner recesses of my most
private parts. Then three… oh fuck!

He released my shoulder and groaned into my ear. “I need to be

inside of you, David. I can’t wait. You taste so sweet. I need to push
inside and feel you squeezing me.” As he spoke he positioned his cock.
I felt the head rubbing against my anus. Throbbing. Demanding
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All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

entrance.

“Do it,” was the only permission he seemed to need. As the words

slipped from my lips, his long shaft filled me in one deep stroke. I cried
out, “Ahhhh!”

As I panted, trying to relax and enjoy this act of love making that

I was sure was intended to feel good and not excruciatingly painful, I
felt him press his chest against my back. I felt his lips on my neck. I
knew he wanted to move his hips, but instead, he held them still and
tried to calm my nerves with gentleness. He nipped my skin again.
“Shhh, my love, it only hurts for a moment.” His fingers found mine
and wound around them. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”

It didn’t take long to relax. I found his tenderness surprising and

welcomed him into my body willingly. He took that as an unspoken
sign to move, and move he did. In and out, slowly at first and then
with deeper, more determined thrusts.

I pulled his arm around my chest as tightly as I could. Holding

him to me. Feeling like my body was a part of his. “Oh, God!” I cried
from sheer pleasure. His stroking was bringing me so close to orgasm
that I dare not move myself against the bed. Then he tilted his hips
and touched a part of me on the inside I had only heard about.
Something inside, a bundle of nerves? A gland? Whatever the hell it
was, exploded with waves of heat that rolled through my body and
had me screaming his name. “Nicholai!”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

Chapter Three

HEN

I regained consciousness—and I say this metaphorically

because I didn’t actually pass out—I felt Nicholai’s body still wrapped
around mine. He was humming. He was caressing my arm and
humming! I never knew two men could feel like this together. It was
beautiful. I melted on the inside and sighed.

I felt Nicholai’s tongue glide over my ear just before he

murmured, “I see you enjoyed dessert. I do hope that dinner does not
disappoint.”

“Ha, ha, ha.” I rolled onto my back and looked into his lovely face.

If it was possible, he looked even more stunning in the afterglow of
sex. I tilted my chin up and kissed him. He smiled again and that was
when I noticed his teeth. They were sharp. Wicked sharp! Vampire
sharp! What the hell? Was I having a nightmare?

I knew he saw the fear in my eyes because his voice lost its

whimsy. “David, please don’t scream.”

That was possibly the best thing he could have said because I

instantly got defensive. “Hey, just because I let you fuck me, that
doesn’t make me a girl!”

He grinned. “No, you are definitely a man.” He moved his hand to

my flaccid cock and fondled me.

“Stop,” I said as I shoved his hand away, “that tickles.”

Nicholai caressed my chest instead of my genitals and looked

into my eyes. “You are not afraid?” he asked, probing my expression

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

for some reason I might jump up at any second and flee his apartment.

“No,” I answered honestly. “I figure, if you were going to eat me,

you would have already done it.”

He smirked and kissed me again. His tongue swept inside my

mouth to dance in a way that I came to crave all to easily. I pulled him
close and he devoured me.

When he allowed me time to breathe, I asked him a few

questions that popped into my thoughts. “So, you’re a vampire? I
mean, really?”

“No,” he answered without hesitation. Nicholai ran his palm over

my hair and settled next to me on his side before answering me
properly. “I am not a vampire as Earth defines those creatures. I am
Vampaerii. I came here through a portal from another world. My
world. I drink blood, yes, but not as vampires do in your so-called
history and myths. I am not the living dead. I am alive. Very much
alive.” He punctuated that point by pressing his groin against my hip. I
smirked. “I came here, to Earth, because I disagree with my peoples’
ways. I was raised a killer, but that is not who I am.”

I scrunched up my face when Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Louis came

to mind. “Like, you abhor killing people to survive?”

“No. I have no qualms against killing when necessary, but for me

to survive it is not necessary to kill. I can feed quite easily without
harming my victims.” He paused momentarily and then added, “You
are a firsthand witness of that.”

Oh, God! He fed on me. The memory of his teeth sinking into my

flesh was all too vivid. “You drank my blood.”

“Please don’t sound so accusatory. I drank from you, yes, but you

are different. I did it for pleasure, not from hunger.”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“What’s the difference?”

“For one, you were not afraid at the time.”

“No,” I huffed, “but I didn’t know what you were doing.”

“Secondly, you still remember that I bit you.”

“Hard not to, Nicholai, your teeth are sharp and sunk deep into

my shoulder.” Thinking about it, I could still feel the dull ache from his
penetration. Well, both penetrations actually, but we were talking
about his teeth here.

“Yes, you can. But if you were someone I merely wanted to feed

on, I would not have allowed the memory to remain.”

“You’d alter my memory? You can do that?”

“Mind manipulation is not difficult for my kind.”

I slipped into my Star Wars voice and mumbled, “These are not

the droids you’re looking for.”

Nicholai gave me a funny look.

I waved it off. “Nothing, go on.”

He continued to explain his weird powers. “Vampaerii saliva

heals the wound fast, and my thoughts erase any memory of my teeth
sinking into your flesh. I have lived on Earth for nearly a year and fed
without drawing any undue attention to myself.”

“Then why tell me?” I had to know. What was he going to do?

Would I wake up tomorrow and lose all memory of the best sex I ever
had in my life? Okay, it was the only man-sex I ever had, and I had
nothing to compare it to, but still, it was great!

“I told you; you are different. Your voice made my soul sing, and I

knew I wanted you. The scariest part is not knowing if you will want
me, now that you know the truth. Your culture suggests fear towards

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

anything different from humans. I am not human. Will you give me
the chance to love you as one man does to another?”

“Love?” I heard him say it. And I heard myself question it. I just

stared. The silence grew uncomfortably long. I hadn’t considered love
when I came on this date. I just wanted to let go of my inhibitions and
embrace the parts of me I kept hidden for too many years. Love?

“I need a shower,” I said as I gently pushed him back so I could

get up off the bed. I knew it was not what he wanted to hear, but it was
all I had to offer in the moment. I needed to think.

* * *

HERE

was a knock at the door. It startled me out of my cogitations,

and I leaned away from the streaming water. “David? You’ve been in
there a long time. I’m surprised I still have hot water for you to wash
with?” Nicholai’s voice was still music to my senses. Somehow, I knew
what he meant by “making his soul sing.” I sure felt a twinge of longing
race through me when he said my name. Did he make my soul sing? I
wasn’t certain. What I did know after the longest shower in history
where nothing actually got washed was that his being a vampire, or
Vampaerii as he called it, or whatever, didn’t matter. He was him, that
man, the one who kissed me and made my fingers go numb. Nicholai
Markoff. I could not deny the longing I felt for him just because he
wasn’t human. And I can’t believe I just heard myself think that! This
has to be a dream.

I called to him from where I was. “No, it’s still hot. Come on in,” I

beckoned, and I heard the door open and shut instantly.

“I didn’t wish to disturb you,” he said from outside the shower

curtain.

I peeked out. “Stupid vampire. Get in here.” I offered a wet hand.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

He smiled a wide smile that revealed both his sharp canines and

then stepped into the tub behind me. “Vampaerii,” he corrected as he
grabbed the soap from my hand.

I turned and placed my arms around his neck and asked, “How

does no one notice those teeth?”

“I never smile.”

“Impossible.” I felt his cock touching mine. I was so glad I didn’t

giggle; this was not a time to act silly.

“No, it’s true. I am a rather serious person at work. No one

questions me. They leave me to go about my way, and I have been
quite happy. On the few occasions when I have let myself slip, I simply
remove the person’s memory of having seen my teeth.”

“That sounds so lonely.” Indeed it did. To never allow himself to

smile, how awful.

“On the contrary, you have no idea what living on my world was

like. Living here is like paradise. Not smiling on the outside just
became a part of what kept me alive, and out of FBI hands. But I am
smiling. Oh, yes, I am, everyday because I am able to live free. And
now I smile because I found you.”

He moved his soapy fingers over my skin and around my back.

He stepped closer and pressed himself against me. I grinned and
touched my lips to his. The shivers that raced through my body at the
touch of his tongue were nothing compared to the shivers that quaked
through me before the water ran cold and forced us to leave the
pleasure we discovered in the tub together.

* * *

light streaming through the curtains caught me off guard. I was in

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

his bed, with his arms wrapped tightly around me, and the sunlight
made me panic. I didn’t want to move for fear of Nicholai combusting
into a pile of ash and debris. My eyes wandered down my naked flesh
to where our hands intertwined. The sun was clearly upon him and
he was not burning. Another fable thwarted! I squeezed his hand
reassuringly. He sighed and kissed the back of my neck. This was by
far the best morning on record!

I pulled his fingers to my lips. “Merry Christmas,” I whispered.

His low chuckle filled the air around us. “I thought you said you

were Jewish?” He maneuvered his way on top of me and looked into
my eyes as his fingers played with my hair.

“I am. But meeting you makes me believe in the Christmas spirit.

It’s the best present I could have hoped for.” For some stupid reason
that old song popped into my head: All I want for Christmas is my two
front teeth, my two front teeth, I said, my two front teeth…. Tyler is
right. I am a dork!

He smiled his Vampaerii smile again and smothered me in kisses.

Definitely the best morning on record!

* * *

ATER

, after a little bit of kissin’ and a little bit of snugglin’, we both

got out of bed and got dressed. I would have been perfectly content to
go naked all day, but he had other plans. I got dressed and found him
already making breakfast.

“You cook?” I asked as if I didn’t believe my eyes, even though I

distinctly remembered eating dinner at some point last night. But I
can’t recall whether he cooked it.

“Yes. Do you eat?”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

He gave me the same tone in return and I blushed from

embarrassment. Fucker! “Yes. I didn’t know. I mean, if you don’t need
food, then I guess it shocked me to think you can cook.”

“I like food. Some of it. And if I live among humans than it makes

things easier when I have guests.” He broke an egg and threw the shell
into the trash.

I walked over and rubbed his shoulders as I watched. This was

nice. I felt completely wonderful for the first time in forever. I could
not stop myself from holding him right there in the kitchen. I felt
giddy. I moved my arms around his torso and rested my head against
his shoulder.

Nicholai stopped what he was doing and caressed my arms that

held him tight. “If you loosen your hold, I could turn around and hold
you back.” I did, and he turned around and did just as he suggested.
His hands slid up and down my spine, and he kissed my neck and then
whispered in my ear, “The eggs are burning.”

I grinned and stepped back. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be; they are just eggs. I can always cook more.” He kissed

me before removing the pan from the burner. Once everything was
turned off, he resumed the kissing. His soft, sensual kisses stirred
everything on the inside, and I moaned into his mouth. This man was
incredible. He could devour my mouth with enough intensity to bruise
my lips and cause spontaneous combustion, but the next moment he
could be gentle and loving like he was savoring the very taste of me.

Thinking about him tasting me had me wanting to taste him.

That part of him that I had never touched before on a man was
suddenly of interest to my tongue. I needed to, right now. I pulled back
slowly. He questioned me with his eyes. “I want to… um, I mean, you
did it. I thought to return the favor.”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

My roundabout explanation seemed to click, and he leaned back.

“By all means, go right ahead.”

I dropped to my knees with a silly grin on my face and proceeded

to unbuckle his belt. We need to stop wearing belts. Velcro! That’s the
way to go.

“I love your eyes. And the way they light up when you’re happy.”

His breathy compliment was lost on me as I responded with sarcasm.

“What? Shit brown. My eyes aren’t special.” Belt done, now if I

could just get the zipper down without asking for help….

“Why would you say that? Your eyes are a lovely color.” He was

most insistent with his opinion.

“That’s what my brother says.” Jeans undone, move the boxer-

briefs down and… there’s my prize! Damn! He’s even big when he’s soft.
And uncut too. Never seen foreskin before. I touched him and pulled the
skin back to reveal the hidden head.

Wild! Looks kinda like one of those water tube-snake wiggler toys

my sister has that have a hole at both ends and when you squeeze one
end it goes sliding through your fist, shooting across—

“So, you have a brother?” His question snapped me out of my

internal rambling. Sometimes I wish I had a key to turn that part off.

“Yup, and two sisters.” I answered, shaking off my fascination

over the extra skin around his head and taking him into my mouth.
His soft flesh felt swishy on my tongue. I heard him groan. I smiled but
found it difficult to move my lips in any other shape than an O. His
dick swelled quickly as I bobbed my head and soon there was less
room in my mouth than at the start. His tip hit the back of my throat,
and I gagged and had to pull off. I only choked for a moment and then
looked up. “Sorry. How do you do that? You swallowed my dick
halfway down your throat without gagging.”
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All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

He shrugged. “Practice.”

As I sat there, it dawned on me that I was not his first. In fact, he

had probably had lots of lovers, and I was just one of many. He must
have seen my mental calculations because I felt his hand on my hair. I
looked up.

“Don’t, David. My past lovers are just that—in the past. Right

now, it is only you I am with until you decide to let me go.”

“Don’t you get a choice?” I asked as I took his cock back into my

hands. I liked the feel of his extra skin sliding up and down with my
fingers. This was really turning me on. I licked around the tip, and I
heard him audibly swallow.

He gasped but still answered my question. “No. There was only

one other person in my life who made me feel like you do, and he is
dead.”

That confession made me stop licking my lollipop. “What

happened?” I could not stop myself from asking. It was so involuntary.
I really should think before I speak.

“He was killed. And I was powerless to save him.”

The sadness in his dark eyes pulled me to my feet. I know it was

not the best moment to feel sentimental, but I couldn’t help myself. I
wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. “I’m sorry. So
sorry.” The thought of his pain and anguish over his dead lover hurt
me like I did not expect. I felt horrible for him. Even knowing that the
other guy could not still be in his life for me to be here, I still hurt for
him. Then insanity took over and I could not stop the next words that
slipped from my lips. “I love you.”

Nicholai stiffened. “Don’t say the words unless you mean them.”

Did I? I thought I did. “No, I do. I do mean them.”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

He leaned back and pushed me away enough to look into my face

with his concern. “David, don’t say them out of pity.”

“No,” I protested, “I’m not. I mean… it’s not like I’ve ever been in

love before, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I think it’s
love. It feels like love.”

“We don’t have love on my world. Not among the Vampaerii.

Violence, hatred, vengeance—these things I know well. So when I met
Max, I knew. It was a feeling I can never forget.”

“He must have been great.” I hated hearing about it, but at the

same time I could not stop it from passing between us. Knowing the
other person is what makes a relationship work. If I was going to
know Nicholai, I needed to hear about his past.

“Yes… and no. He—Max—put up barriers and would not admit

his feelings for me until it was too late.” Nicholai averted his eyes and
looked to the floor as he spoke, like it was too painful to admit as he
looked at me. “I loved him with every ounce of my being and for the
longest time he would not reciprocate my feelings.”

I cupped his face and made him look at me. “I love you.” I wanted

to make sure he heard me—that he knew.

“Oh, David,” he whispered, “I do love you.” Nicholai crushed my

mouth with kisses. So much for tender. He moved me backwards out
of the kitchen toward the bedroom and kicked his pants off as we
went.

Just as he had me right where he wanted me, my phone rang.

“Shit. Sorry.” I guiltily reached for it and looked at the caller ID. “It’s
my friend, Joey. He’s probably wondering if I’m dead in an alley
somewhere.”

“Answer it,” he said as he got comfortable next to me.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“Hello,” I said as a flipped it open. Joey’s voice was fully of

sarcasm and insults. “I’m fine, Joey. Yes, I had a great night.” I was
lying on my back so I tilted my head to look into Nicholai’s eyes as I
spoke. He in turn touched my face with his hand, running his fingers
around my jaw. I almost tossed the phone aside and pushed him over
onto his back to ravage him, but then Joey would just call me back and
the phone would annoy me some more. I settled on enjoying
Nicholai’s touch as I finished the conversation now.

“No, I don’t think I’ll be there today. Yes, I’m serious. Nicole?

Yeah, she’s great. Fuck, yeah, I’m getting laid. Joey? Joey?” I snapped
the phone shut, and Nicholai gave me a questioning look. “Joey said
‘All right!’ and hung up.”

“Ah! Then who is Nicole?”

“Um.” I knew lying would come back to bite me in the ass. “You

are?”

“Is that a question? Because I am sure I am not a woman.”

“No. I know. I lied. He thought I was saying Nicole not Nicholai,

and I didn’t correct him.” I felt so small right now. I am such an asshole.

“Because they don’t know you’re gay.” He, on the other hand, did

not state it as a question.

“No, they don’t. I really didn’t know until now. I was in denial.

Then you kissed me, and everything felt right. My life made sense, and
I knew this is what I wanted.” Crazy as it was, love and all, this was
what I wanted.

“Are you sure?” he asked sarcastically, “because I was going to

suggest fucking you again, but if you’re straight—”

“No! No, I’m gay, way gay.” I rolled my eyes. “Okay, that sounded

stupid. What I mean is, I’m sure. And you fucking me is not a problem

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

at all.”

“Good,” he said with a wink, and then he proceeded to devour me

right where he left off.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

Chapter Four

WATCHED

him across the room. When I first came here I thought

there were walls separating the rooms, but there weren’t. It was like a
huge loft with a few dividing screens placed strategically to create the
effect of separate rooms. I liked that. It made it easier for me to remain
in his nice comfortable bed and still watch him make something for
me to eat. God, he’s beautiful. I know I keep saying that, but it’s true.

That whole assumption about all vampires being beautiful had to

be correct, at least as far as I knew, because he was. Eternally young,
sleek, not an ounce of fat on him, graceful, and I could keep going with
the adjectives. Nicholai was beautiful. Even his black eyes didn’t scare
me. They were abnormally dark, but I noticed, whenever he was
looking at me, a flash of silver swirled across them. It made his
otherworldly appearance even more… well, otherworldly.

I can’t believe I’m here with him… on Christmas. Me. David Allen

Gilden; the most unlikely Jew in my neighborhood to have a
boyfriend—or girlfriend—was here in New York’s Upper West Side
lying naked in an alien vampire’s bed. Oh, God! I flopped on my back
and stared at the high ceiling as I rubbed my temples. This was just
weird. Joey would never believe me. Hell, I barely believe me. But it
was true. And I was happy.

I grabbed his pillow and pulled it over my face. It smelled like

him. It was cologne I recognized but couldn’t name off the top of my
head. Expensive though, I knew that. I removed the pillow and the
image of him above me flashed through my mind’s eye. The things

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

we’d just done. It was so good.

This time I was on my back when we made love. I had my legs

wrapped around his hips, and I could look into his eyes as he moved
in and out of me. And the look on his face when he came… oh, man…
just thinking about his total euphoria had me hard again. He looked
drunk when he was done, looking down at me, and then he leaned in
the rest of the way to kiss me. I didn’t want him to pull out. I wanted to
stay like that, frozen in time and physically connected to the man I
loved.

My phone rang again. Shit! I should turn the thing off. Leave it to

Joey to disturb me just before we had sex and then soon after when I
was looping the replay in my head.

“Jooeeeey….” I deliberately sounded exasperated.

“Sorry, dude, but my mom made me call. She wants to make sure

you’re all right. She’s worried. I told her you were with a girl, and that
just made it worse. She doesn’t think you should spend Christmas
with strangers.”

“Dude, I’m fine. More than fine. This isn’t my holiday anyway.

You’re the Catholic. Although….” I could not get my mind off what I
said to Nicholai earlier. This was the best day ever, and it was
Christmas. I had to admit the holiday would forever be changed in my
book. It was miraculous. Maybe I wasn’t ready to buy all the hoopla
over Jesus being the Son of God, but I was going to admit to liking
Christmas. Hell, I liked it before. I liked the lights and the presents and
spending time with my friends and family. It’s just now, after meeting
Nicholai and waking up in his arms on Christmas morning, that I knew
there was a real heaven and therefore there had to be a real God too.

Joey’s voice rang out. “What? David?”

I think my pause was a little long. He sounded agitated. “Nothin’.

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

Um, Joey, I got something to tell you, but I don’t think today is the best
day. I mean, it is a great day, I love Christmas now, but it has to do
with something else.” I knew I had to come clean about being gay, but
I was not going to do that in front of his family.

“Why? What is it?”

“Um, I just… there’s somethin’ I’ve been meaning to tell you for a

while now, but only last night did I realize what I was feeling.” I really
didn’t want to tell him over the phone.

“Davey, is it that you’re gay?” His question almost made me

choke on my own saliva.

I sat up quickly and cleared my throat. Nicholai noticed and

strolled over to the bed. He sat next to my legs and placed his hand on
my thigh. I only briefly met his gaze before I answered my lifelong
friend. “What?” My voice came out shrill. I coughed again. “What?” I
repeated. “How did you…?”

“David, we all know. It’s taken you long enough to figure it out.”

His matter-of-fact tone soothed my nerves. My shocking news wasn’t
so shocking and my best friend was accepting me for who I am. This is
a Christmas miracle!

“If you knew, how come you didn’t say?”

“Because, Davey, if you weren’t ready to admit it, I wasn’t gonna

push. But after hearing you moan ‘Nicholai’ from my bedroom, I kinda
figured you were working it all out.”

I knew my face was growing red, and if Joey were in the room,

he’d make fun of my sudden embarrassment. “Does my mom know?” I
asked.

“No,” he said, “I don’t think so. She’s not as up on current events

like my mom. You may even have to explain how you two have sex.”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

“Oh, fuck! Like hell I’m gonna do that!” Joey’s joking about it

made me relax even more. Nicholai must have sensed that too,
because he got up and went back to the kitchen. “Joey?”

“Yeah?”

I took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

“No prob, bro. Just… don’t forget your friends now that you have

a ‘significant other’.”

“Ha, ha. I won’t. I may even bring him by later, that is, if you think

your family won’t mind.”

“No. Feel free. Only… can you tell me how you met him? I don’t

remember you talking about meeting anybody the last time you were
up here?”

I smirked. I ran my hand over my tussled hair as I revealed the

cold, hard truth. “Joey, would you believe it’s the speed dial guy from
that phone you found?”

“No shit!” he exclaimed. I could practically see him throwing the

phone down and jumping back a step. His face would be priceless at
this moment. A Kodak moment. I really should have waited to tell him
that in person.

“No, really. Nicholai is amazing. I felt it as soon as he kissed me.”

Nicholai’s eyes locked with mine when I said that. I know Joey was
saying something, but I continued on, dreamlike, going over every
detail about this man as we stared at one another across the room. “I
knew when he touched my face, I’d never want anyone else to touch
me like that. I knew when he undressed me and gazed upon my naked
body, that I’d never allow anyone to look at me but Nicholai. And
when he sunk deep into the recesses of my core, I knew no other man
could have me as completely as I gave myself to him.”

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

By now, Nicholai was undressing in front of me. He apparently

abandoned the idea of food in exchange for the lustful tones of my
voice. I heard a beep on my phone. A text from Joey:

Jeez. Like I was going to keep listening to THAT!

I chuckled and tossed the phone aside. I had other things in

mind. I grabbed Nicholai around the ribs and pulled him to me.
Flipping him to the side, I pinned him to the bed. He grinned at me
with his constant, devilish half-smile that was just slight enough to
hide his teeth. “What?” I asked knowingly, sipping his lips and nipping
his chin.

“I like your aggressiveness. It shows me that you are not afraid.”

“Why would I be?” I kissed his neck and made my way down his

taut chest.

He chuckled. “Because I am Vampaerii, that certainly tops the

list.”

“Ehh, overrated.” I blew it off casually because I knew exactly

what he meant and knew exactly how to counter his arguments.

“You doubt I am dangerous?” The roughness in his voice, I

expected.

I kept kissing. I dipped my tongue in his navel. He jumped.

Ticklish, hmmm. “I don’t doubt you’re dangerous, I only doubt you
have to strength to do anything to harm me when I can do this.” I
proved my point by taking him into my mouth. (This time without
marveling over his uncircumcisedness.) I sucked hard, and he lost the
ability to make any kind of argument to the contrary. I was right. He
knew it. I could do anything I wanted.

I decided to finish what I started earlier in the kitchen. I got

interrupted then, and I really wanted to give him the same pleasure he

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

bestowed on me. I took his cock to the back of my throat, and this time
I didn’t gag. I worked my hands as well as my mouth, up and down. I
rubbed his balls and slid my fingers over his crack. His legs spread
wider, inviting me in. I let the building globs of spit coat my fingers,
and then I placed one over his opening. I rubbed and he groaned. I
pushed that first digit in. His moan was louder.

Damn, he’s tight! If I thought fucking myself in the shower the

other day was hard and tight, that was nothing. His ass gives a vise-grip
a whole new meaning.

I took my mouth from his pulsing appendage long enough to ask,

“Have you ever been fucked?” I went right back to licking and sucking.

“No,” he gasped. I don’t think having my finger sliding in and out

of his ass was making it easy for him to think.

I worked my finger slowly and then decided to add another. That

was more difficult. I really didn’t think he would relax enough for me
to get another finger in. I needed lube. Magically, it was flung at my
head. “Thanks,” I mumbled with my mouth full. Lube was much better
than saliva, but it still didn’t make him any easier to get into. I worked
two fingers until my knuckles began to protest the mounting pressure
squeezing them together. We’d definitely need to work more on this if
he was going to open up for me any time soon.

Wow, me fucking Nicholai. The very thought had me pulsing and

oozing pre-cum.

I abandoned my stroking of his asshole and worked more

fervently on his cock. He was close. I could tell. The way he arched his
back and gasped my name had orgasm spelled all over it. Sure enough,
a few more head bobs, and I felt hot liquid hit my larynx. I gagged. Not
a shocker. But at least I didn’t choke so hard that I had to stop. I kept
going as he shook until he had nothing left to spurt. Cum didn’t taste

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

bad, kind of sour and salty and easily swallowed. Add in some tequila
and you could have a margarita.

(I am so glad he can’t really read my mind. That sounded so

dumb!)

He gave a heaving sigh and tried to get me to come up to him,

pulling on my arm. I think I wore him out. I acquiesced, moving on all
fours I clambered up the bed and over his spent body. “Yes?” I asked
smugly.

“That… felt… wonderful.”

His sleepy eyes made me beam with the pleasure I knew I’d

given him, my Vampaerii, my Nicholai, my partner.

Okay, we never actually discussed exclusivity, but so far he

hadn’t used a condom (he was an alien; did I even need to worry?) and
both of us had swallowed each other’s load. I am pretty sure I’m safe
in assuming he wasn’t planning on fucking other guys. I sure wasn’t.
He was it!

* * *

WATCHED

him fall asleep. I showered. And then I waited until he

woke up to tell him we were going to my friend Joey’s for dinner. The
news didn’t shock him. I bet he was listening in to my conversation on
the phone. Anyway, this was the best Christmas I ever had.

* * *

HATED

to leave. It was the worst part about coming to New York.

Every time I rode up here since Joey’s family moved, I had to travel
back home to my regularly scheduled life. I liked the surreal version
better. Only this time it was way worse. I was leaving Nicholai. We

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

said we’d call. I knew he’d call. But I had my life in Maryland, and he
had his life in New York. It would take some figuring out. Time. I hated
time. It would be more practical for him to move because I was just
starting med school. I could probably transfer. He could get a different
job. Gosh, the complications just keep mounting in my head.

When would I see him again? I didn’t know. I hated not knowing.

It made me sick to think about being away from him for any length of
time. I felt the bus move.

“Megabus,” I whispered to myself. It pulled away from the curb

and followed the flow of traffic.

“Excuse me? Is anyone sitting here?”

I knew the voice before I looked up. Those piercing black eyes

never looked more inviting, and his slight smirk sent relief rippling
through my limbs. I answered him by promptly removing my
backpack from the seat next to me and placing it on the floor. Nicholai
filled the empty seat and stared at me. I could only guess what he was
thinking, because he didn’t say a word, he only reached over and took
my hand in his, lacing our fingers together.

I felt so elated I wanted to shout it to all the passengers on the

bus!

He was here, next to me, my Nicholai, and I wanted nothing more

than to climb into his lap and kiss him with every bit of passion I
possessed. I didn’t. I’m not that bold. I settled for a silly grin just
before my eyes darted out the window.

I heard his low chuckle.

Hmmm, a trip to Maryland to meet my family… this should be

interesting.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered in my ear, and then he

All I Want for Christmas * Linda Reilly

snuggled against my shoulder for the three-hour ride we had ahead of
us.

If I were a fourteen-year-old girl, I would have cried.

Got

Mistletoe Madness?

The Dreamspinner Press 2009 Advent Calendar is available at

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com.

There is a T-shirt that says, “You better watch it or you’ll end up in my

novel.”

INDA

EILLY

enjoys doing just that! She lives in Maryland

and writes about the people and the world she sees around her by
blending true life with her wild imagination. She lives in the woods
with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs.

Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of
the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover Design by Mara McKennen

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any
means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal
prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally
loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the
express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact
Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America
December 2009

eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-333-9

Document Outline

Cover
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Got Mistletoe Madness?
About the Author
Dreamspinner Press

Linda Reilly All I Want For Christmas

Document Outline