Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 A Good Christmas by be287m
   This year was going to be a good Christmas.
   Dave leaned back and took another sip of latte, watching the Food Court
crowds scurry.  This corner table served a calm oasis amongst the bustle,
giving him time to reflect.
   Of course, last year's Christmas wouldn't be tough to beat.  Getting
asked for a divorce Thanksgiving Day.  Claire out of the house with half
the furniture by the 10th.  Christmas Eve alone in the empty rooms watching
the cat scamper across the floor.  Then far too many questions from cousins
and parents and second cousins and aunts and cousins once removed and more
cousins.  Forget the season of giving, the season of joy, it was the season
of nosy questions!  And all "What happened?" with none being "How can I
help?"
   This year would be different.  This year was going to be a good
Christmas.
   The sense of someone approaching tugged Dave from the scattered memories
and back to the present.  He glanced up into smiling emerald eyes and a
devilish grin.  Jen.  With Will right beside her, of course, also smirking.
His friends were irrepressible that way.  Will slid his arm around Jen's
waist and then straightened up into mock self-righteousness.
   "See, I told you we'd find him here."
   "Well, duh.  I told you I was going shopping at the mall today," Dave
replied.
   "Ah yes, but *I* said you'd not only be at the mall, but you'd be
sitting in the food court, drinking a latte, wallowing in self-pity." Will
retorted.
   Dave rolled his eyes.  "That predictable?"
   "Of course.  I have known you for nearly 20 years, after all.  Dave's
post-rejection pout has followed the same pattern since junior high.  Dave
goes to a public place, drinks caffeine, and wallows in the corner hoping
no one will notice.  When you emailed to say you wouldn't be bringing Kim
to the party Saturday night, I knew where to find you."
   "Kim was three dates and out," Dave intoned.  "I was never sure she was
really interested, and on the third date she decided to use her cell phone
to check her messages while I was driving us to dinner.  Which wouldn't
have been so bad if she hadn't then spent the rest of the drive returning
calls."
   Will visibly winced.  Dave continued, "So I figured there was no point
in bringing her to the party.  It wasn't so much that I was rejected as I
got smart." Yeah right, this bluff was going nowhere.  "I'm not pouting. 
I'm just not feeling very much in a holiday mood."
   Jen leaned forward, nearly resting her elbows on the table.  "Ah, what's
wrong, Daver, not feeling very merry?"
   Dave barely heard her.  Her low cut and loose blouse had fallen away,
revealing an expanse of smooth, pale curvaceous skin.  She was definitely a
healthy C-cup and was that a bit of areola peeking out above the lace? 
Dave let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and then
caught himself.  He'd been staring.  Feeling the flush beginning to rise in
his cheeks, he quickly diverted his gaze to Jen's face.  She was smiling
too smugly to break into laughter and he knew he'd been caught.
   "Feeling a little merrier now, Dave?" He swore he could hear Mae West
from the back of her drawl.  Jen arched her back slightly, pushing her
nipples forward and Dave was sure he could see them hardening behind the
fabric.  He could hear Will chuckling.
   "Not my fault, my man.  You're the one dating the damn exhibitionist,"
Dave exclaimed past Jen to Will.  Jen laughed before Will could speak up.
   "Well of course.  I'm a voyeur.  Who better for me to date than an
exhibitionist like Jen?"
   Jen rolled her shoulders, creating slow waves across her chest, drawing
Dave's eyes back to her cleavage.  She leaned forward further, deepening
his view.  God what a beautiful sight.
   "Besides," she uttered in a stage whisper, "He likes it when other guys
look.  As much as I do." Jen stood back up, the devilish grin firmly in
place.  The show was over.
   "Come shopping with us," Will cajoled.  "It will be fun.  I promise."
   "Yeah Dave," Jen added, still grinning.  "I guarantee you'll enjoy it."
   With a guarantee like that from Jen, how could he lose?
   And he did have fun, Dave mused later.  First they'd hit the bookstore,
taking time between searching for gifts for Will's numerous relatives to
point out favorite titles to each other.  Dave's taste ran to sci-fi and
fantasy, but he was pleasantly surprised by the number of "classic" novels
that he'd actually read when Jen or Will pointed out some they'd enjoyed.
He'd thoroughly enjoyed browsing the history section, noting new titles by
familiar authors, but realizing he'd better wait until after the holidays
to purchase them, lest he potentially step on any gift giver's toes.  And
of course, Jen just had to drag them over to the human sexuality section
where after a few minutes she declared, loudly enough to draw the startled
look of another patron, that it was hopeless because there wasn't a single
book in the section that she could get for Will, since he already knew more
than any of the authors.  Will had the decency to blush above his shit
eating grin and Dave just rolled his eyes as they ambled to the register to
ring up their loot.
   Jen's antics continued when they hit the clothing stores.  She insisted
Will try on every hat she found, from cowboy hats to stocking caps to ball
caps with stupid slogans.  Will took it in good humor, even when he looked
so patently ridiculous that Dave couldn't help chuckling.  The only time
his mood dropped was when they were in Hallmark.  He'd seen a particularly
sappy romantic card, thought that Claire would like it, and then
remembered.
   Jen must have seen his face fall.  She had walked up, gently taken the
card from his hand, glanced at it, and then put it back.
   "It can be hard, being single for the holidays." Dave could hear that
her sympathy was sincere.  "I had a few rough Christmases before I met
Will." She slid her arm around him in a gentle hug.
   "Claire and I were together for five years," Dave said, the hollowness
ringing in his own ears.  "I had thought it would be forever.  And yeah, I
got my hopes up for Kim way too early.  I guess I just didn't want to be
alone."
   "You're not alone," Jen said, giving him a friendly squeeze.  Dave
smiled.  They rested in a quiet pause, before Jen spoke again.
   "What about Jennifer?"
   Jennifer.
   Will and Jen had introduced Dave to Jennifer last May.  She was
uncanningly like Jen.  Both gorgeous curvaceous redheads with great
athletic legs.  Jennifer was an inch or two shorter with hazel eyes instead
of green, but they could easily pass as sisters if not twins.
   Jennifer had shown up at Will's birthday party but Dave had been too
lost in his own thoughts to notice her until Will gently steered him into
the conversation circle by the fireplace.  She'd been funny and quick
witted--teasing Will about being the first to hit the big 3-0, then sliding
some bad puns into a conversation about food.  Dave had really relaxed and
enjoyed the broad flirting that occurred as the party wound down, though he
took it as just fun with no real interest behind it.  Will emailed him
Jennifer's phone number the next day and harangued him until he agreed to
ask her out.
   Their first date had evolved from "just coffee" into dinner and then
late night drinks with lots of laughter.  He'd felt relaxed and enjoyed the
glimmer in her eyes during the silences between topics.  She'd taken his
hand, walking back to their cars, and after unlocking her car door and
throwing her purse on the passenger seat, wrapped her arms around his neck.
The kiss had been sweet, and hot, and tender, and passionate, and his blood
had roared in his ears all the way home.
   Running more on autopilot than anything, he'd arranged a second date to
the theatre.  She'd looked stunning in her version of the little black
dress, her copper curls cascading over her shoulders, black hose
highlighting those legs, and just a hint of naughtiness in her smile. 
They'd started kissing at the car, and then on her porch.  She was
incredibly passionate and soon he was kissing her earlobes, her neck, her
lips again.  Running his hands across her back, more kisses, feeling her
grab his ass.  Sliding his hands down to cup her ass cheeks in return, and
then freezing.
   His right hand had passed over a garter belt strap.  She'd worn a garter
belt on a date with him.  He could feel the panic rising up the back of his
spine.  He'd slowed down, letting the passion cool, and then made some lame
excuse and escaped to his car.  Ran away, really.  The next day he'd been
too embarrassed to call her or return her call the day after that.
   "I just wasn't ready, Jen.  I really liked her, but it was obvious that
it was going to get serious awfully soon, and I wasn't ready.  It was still
too soon after Claire."
   "And you're ready now?"
   Dave let out a deep breath.  "Yeah, I'm ready now.  Except that Jennifer
won't want to talk to me, the way I ended our last date.  So I'm stuck
going out with women like Kim."
   "You never know," Jen commented.  "Jennifer might understand.  She got
divorced herself two years ago.  Besides, she might have had friends who
could explain it to her." The last comment sounded too intentionally
innocent to Dave's ears, but he decided he really didn't want to ask.
   "You should call her," Jen continued.  "I bet she'd love to go out with
you again."
   "I don't know, Jen.  How would I start that conversation?  It would be
one thing if I ran into her on the street, but it's quite another to call
her out of the blue.  I'm not sure I could do that." Jen just hmmmed in
response.
   Will came up at that moment with his card selections and they headed for
the cashier.  Another eight stores and another ten hat modelings found them
in front of the Victoria's Secret.
   "It's not a mall if it doesn't have a Victoria's Secret," Will joked.
   "C'mon guys--time for me to get something for me," Jen announced.  "And
you, of course, dear love," directed to Will.  What the heck, Dave thought,
and followed them in.
   Jen was a tornado.  From one display to another, to a hanging rack and
then a table of panties, she seemed to consider every item and evaluate it
faster than Dave could even notice the fabric type.  She was a pro in her
element.  The pile of lingerie she carried grew as they worked their way
towards the back of the store.  Finally she slowed to a pause, then
motioned to the two guys to follow her as she approached a sales clerk.
   "Changing room?" The clerk motioned towards a discreet doorway on a side
wall and Dave and Will worked their way over in Jen's wake.  She and the
clerk arrived first and went around a small bend to the actual changing
rooms, the clerk extracting her key as she went.  Dave and Will pulled up
at the outer doorway, meeting the clerk coming back.
   "So, do we wait here?" Dave asked.
   "Yeah.  Sometimes I go in with her, but I always feel a little
uncomfortable if there are women in the other changing rooms."
   "Oh?"
   "They can hear."
   "Oh?  Oh."
   Dave leaned up against the wall and looked around the store.  The clerk
was an attractive brunette, but her attitude was pure professional.  She
glanced over at the guys a couple of times with an all business smile.  The
remaining shoppers ran the usual gamut of women.  Older women in their 40's
and 50's browsing the bra section.  A pair of girls obviously still in high
school tittering near some teddies.  A woman in her 30's sorting through a
rack of silk tops.
   "Ah hem."
   Dave turned back to the changing room entrance and once again his breath
caught.  Jen was standing there, hands on hips, obviously waiting for her
men's attention to return to where it rightfully belonged.
   And boy did it rightfully belong there.  Her outfit was deep emerald
green silk.  A plunging v-neck revealed almost all of her breasts and yes,
her nipples were hard and poking through.  The top ended just above her
belly button and was matched by silk tap pants.  Smiling at the admiration,
Jen slowly turned around, letting Dave and Will see how the silk hugged her
ass.
   "You like?" she asked, Mae West returning to her voice.  Dave could only
nod as Will managed a "Hell yes!" Jen beamed at his comment.
   "Then I better go try on the next one," she commented, heading down
towards the changing room.  Watching her saunter away, Dave could feel his
body stir.  Oh yes, he was definitely ready to date again.
   "You have an incredible girlfriend," Dave told Will, after a lengthy
silence.  Will smiled.
   "Well, you could have one too, you know," Will teased back.
   "That looks like that?  And is that bold?  Hell, that brazen?"
   "Sure." Will held his voice steady, but Dave could tell he was trying to
avoid laughing out loud.  Before Dave could begin to sputter about the
impossibility of such a thing, Jen returned.
   This time, her outfit was black.  A black gauze robe over a tiny lace
bra and g-string, with matching black thigh high stockings.  Again, a full
smile of pleasure as she noted the men watching.  With a roll of her
shoulders she turned her back to them and let her hair cascade down the
back of the robe.  Set against the filmy gauze, it seemed more lustrous
somehow.
   "I am dating the most beautiful woman in the world!" Will exclaimed. 
His face was ablaze in delight.  Jen looked over her shoulder at Will, the
awe and delight evident in her face as well.  This is what makes them work,
Dave realized.  Those looks between them.  Suddenly feeling like an
intruder in their private moment, he backed away, just as the clerk brushed
by him leading someone to the dressing rooms.  He managed to turn the wrong
way in getting out of the clerk's way and bumped into a rack of hanging
clothes.  By the time he got it straightened up, only Will was in the
doorway.
   "I'm going to go in," Will said.  Before Dave could reply, he was alone.
   Dave leaned back against the doorway wall, amused at the speed of his
friend's departure.  What was it that made someone he'd known most of his
life jump so quickly?  Will wasn't whipped, Dave knew.  It was more like
Will enjoyed exaggerating his response to Jen's teases.  There was a
pleasure there--something precious that Dave could sense from the sidelines
but not really name.  Something that made life good for Will.  Really good.
   The sales clerk approached Dave.
   "The lady would like your opinion on her current outfit.  Second door on
the left."
   Slightly surprised, Dave headed down the short hallway and opened the
dressing room door.
   She was alone and facing away.  Red locks of hair tumbled over the top
of an ivory white corset--the laces running down her back.  Silk panties
tight across the globes of her ass and white stockings completed the
outfit. Wow.  Dave could feel his pulse speed up.
   She turned around, smiling.  Hazel eyes instead of green.  Jennifer.
   "Hello, Dave." The warmth in her voice melted his surprise.  "Jen said I
might run into you here.  Actually, she called me and told me she'd bring
you here." She let that sink in for a moment.
   "Do you like my outfit?"
   "I love your outfit." Dave stepped forward and slid his arms around her,
then down to her ass.  Jennifer snuggled a little closer and tilted her
head up facing his.  His right hand brushed a garter strap, then he ran his
fingers down its edge.  It felt glorious.
   "It's incredible, just like you." Jennifer flushed at the compliment,
then parted her lips slightly as he kissed her.  The kiss was sweet, and
hot, and tender, and passionate, and he knew.  He just knew.
   This year was going to be a good Christmas.
   Copyright (C) 2003, all rights reserved.