“No, I don’t believe I will,” Mitt replied rising. “All this talk of feisty females has reminded me a have a wife at home and I’d much rather have her be glad to see me and not put starch in my underwear,” he continued with a groan. “That can be mighty uncomfortable.”
Bartlett laughed and rose with him.
“I thank you all for the information,” he said, “and I’d like you all to have a drink on me. Can I get a ride home, Mitt?”
“You sure can,” he replied kindly. “You’ve given me an interesting evening.”
Stopping at the bar, Bartlett stopped to pay for a round. Then he joined Mitt in the sleigh. He was tempted to stop at Merry’s, pull her from her bed and spank the bejesus out of her, but he thought better of it. Better to wait and time his next move. He didn’t want to lose her and ignored his itching hand. There would be plenty of time to take charge of her after Christmas Eve was behind them and the pressure was off. Then he would let his intentions be known.
Merry hadtrouble keeping a straight face at work the next day. She wasn’t even sure where the outrageous lies had come from. Still, she didn’t regret them at all. He deserved to sweat it out for a while. He’d certainly done everything he could to keep her on edge, watching her production all the time, threatening her with a spanking which she wasn’t truly sure was a threat at all for it only served to keep her sexually agitated. Hell, she wished he’d just do it and get it over with so she could at least decide whether he was the sort of man she wanted.
And it was a difficult choice. Yes, she was physically attracted to him in a big way. Certainly his warnings of corporal punishment were exciting on some weird level, but that didn’t mean she’d actually enjoy it. She might hate it and never want to see him again. Why should she make a big investment in a relationship with him if it was never going to work out? They never did have that ‘talk’ which frustrated her. She’d been hoping to have an honest discussion regarding what they both expected from a romantic relationship. Surely he would tell her exactly what domestic discipline entailed. But no, he’d skirted the issues most effectively. Now let him worry for a change. Let him wonder if his penis was going to function properly if he failed to please her. Giggling she found herself painting smiling faces for most of the day. It helped if she ignored his approving glances when he strolled the catwalk and stuck her tongue out at him as soon as he passed. Only then could she get back to enjoying her day.
With everyone workingat full capacity, the next three weeks flew by. Bartlett spent as much time as he could with her. They went out to dinner a few times, managed to go ice skating where to her amusement he spent more time on his ass than he did on the blades of his skates. Several nights were spent cuddling before the fire in his cabin drinking frothing mugs of hot cocoa. Sadly, he never brought up the subject of their future. The ‘conversation’ never happened no matter how often she tried to lead him in that direction. Most disappointing of all, he was a perfect gentleman. A number of times she could have kicked herself for telling him such blatant lies and she suspected he was afraid to make love to her, worrying he would not be able to satisfy her. Of all the lies she’d told in her life; those were clearly the dumbest!
At work he was pleasant, praising her for getting it together and producing some of the loveliest dolls he’d ever seen. While proud, she was also a bit resentful. If she’d continued to produce sub-standard work, she might have had her experience over his knees, which in turn could lead to more adventurous pursuits. Basically, she was slitting her own throat.
Still, Christmas Eve would come as it always did and there would be time for them to connect once again, hopefully on a more intimate level. Not that they weren’t connected now, but there just seemed to be something amiss, actually, a lot of things seemed to be missing. It almost appeared as though he were waiting for something. She knew he had a lot on his mind and tried to cut him some slack, but she couldn’t help feeling as though he were hiding something from her, a secret, a plan…something. At times it was a bit unnerving, but she kept her worries to herself. After what she’d gone through with Bernard, she didn’t care for secrets or surprises. She recalled quite clearly the day Patty, with tears streaming down her cheeks, told her what was going on between Bernard and Ginger. Yes, she didn’t need any more shocking revelations.
It also occurred to her that perhaps Bartlett Bright had decided not to renew his contract and stay at the North Pole. He would not be the first human to bail after the new year. It was a huge responsibility and not everyone was cut out for the pressure. Perhaps that was the reason he’d not taken their relationship further? The thought alone was incredibly upsetting so she did her best to push it to the back of her mind. Still it flitted in and out when he acted in a way that confused her. Her mother had told her many times that the truth would always come out, and perhaps it would, for tomorrow was Christmas Eve.
Merry rose early,eager to get to work. Everyone went in early on Christmas Eve and she had five more dolls to paint. Afterward she would go to the shipping department and help load gaily wrapped packages into enormous red sacks. In her opinion, that was the best part and she was always getting scolded for admiring the pretty packages and giving them a little shake. This year she would try to control herself.
By eight a.m. she’d sent the dolls off to quality control, certain they were perfect and headed to shipping, her short red skirt bouncing with every step she took. Merry thought it was important to look the part on special days, and today she’d gone all out. On her feet were cute black ankle boots with silver bells attached. Bells also jingled at the end of her stocking hat and in her ears. Everyone seemed exceptionally cheery today greeting each other joyfully. Everyone but Bartlett Bright.
He was stationed at an immense table covered with clipboards, wearing a headset, and shouting orders like a possessed sergeant in command of military forces.
“You there, get that sack ready to go! No, not that one, the one next to it. That’s going to Sidney and needs five more presents! Are you paying attention?” he bellowed. “Is anyone paying attention?”
“Can I be of any help?” Merry asked leaning over and scanning the contents of the table.
Bartlett stuffed a clipboard in her hand.
“This is the list for Amsterdam,” he snapped. “Get on it!”
“Yes, sir,” she replied feigning a salute. Then she moved off with her list and found an empty sack. Over the next hour she stopped at each station and told them what toys she needed and how many. Sleds, basketballs, video games, ice skates, cell phones, computers, dolls, and stuffed animals all appeared in moments and were stuffed into her sack. It always amazed her that no matter how much was crammed in each red sack, it never got full, nor did it get heavy. Moving around, Merry towed it behind her easily until everything was checked off her list. Then she dragged it to Bartlett’s side.
“Here’s Amsterdam,” she said happily.
“Amsterdam, Netherlands, or Amsterdam, New York?” he asked sharply.
“Why, I don’t know,” she replied weakly. “You didn’t say, and I didn’t specify. I went from your list.”
Bartlett almost snatched the clipboard out of her hand, looked it over and sighed in relief.
“Amsterdam, Netherlands,” he sighed. “Thank God you got it right.”
Merry’s back stiffened and she spun on her heel.
“Wait! Merry, where are you going? I have another sack for you.”
“You can stick your sack…” she began before taking hold of her temper. “I’m going to help in wrapping, where I’m appreciated.”
“I appreciate you,” he called after her. “I really do!”
“Well appreciate someone else,” she shouted over her shoulder as she kept going. “What a jerk.”
Bartlett did not seeher for the rest of the day, and made a mental note to apologize to her, right after he had his nervous breakdown. It was nearing midnight when Santa made his last heavily loaded trip out of the North Pole. Sinking onto a chair Bartlett put his head in his hands and heaved a sigh of relief. They’d made it! Every single present was gone from the warehouse and on its way to a deserving child, although he couldn’t say where Santa was heading now, he’d lost track.
