I Believe

This is an official entry into the 2006 Literotica Winter Holiday contest. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I have had crafting it.

***

I watched Jana as she bounced on her feet, trying to look past the other kids and adults in line to the 'jolly fat man' seated on his throne. Her childish excitement and frustration at having to wait her turn made me laugh.

I looked to the mall Santa in his padded red suit and thick white beard. This one did a better job than most at playing the role; his beard seemed real, as did the roundness of his belly. He was flanked by a couple of cute teenagers in their Peter Pan-like elf suits, surrounded by giant-sized candy canes and all the gaudy decorations that seemed necessary for the scene.

Jana caught my eye and frantically pointed toward Santa, grinning childishly. I nodded, smiling back.

Yes, Jana, that's Santa Claus. You see him every year.

The nine-year-old jumped up and down exuberantly, her little body practically vibrating with all the sugar she had consumed. I knew her mother would hate me later, once Jana was home and going on and on about Santa and what he would bring her. But for the moment, I was just happy for the little tyke. It had been a rough year, what with the separation and all. She deserved to be just a little girl for a while.

I tried to remember what it was like when I was her age, when I sat on Santa's lap and told him about the toys I wanted. I frowned as I realized my memory was lacking. I couldn't remember ever having done so.

I know they had mall Santas in the eighties

, I thought.

Maybe mom and dad just never took me. Hmm . . . .

I shook my head, looked back to Jana. She was getting closer in line now, practicing her balance by hopping forward on one foot. I chuckled. Oh, to be young again and with nothing to worry about but the moment.

"And why aren't you in line?" asked a bubbly voice beside me.

I was a somewhat startled. The cute little elf had appeared out of nowhere, it seemed. She stood on her tip-toes beside me, hands behind her back, swiveling back and forth. She was tiny, very tiny in fact, not even five feet tall. She had a round, glittering face, long curly blonde hair through which her pointed ears poked, and the biggest blue eyes I had ever seen.

I chuckled, looking down at the cherub. "I'm a little too old to be sitting on Santa's knee," I said.

She gave me an exaggerated frown. "Bull pucky!" she exclaimed in her girlish voice.

I laughed. "'Bull pucky?'"

She shrugged and smacked her gum. "Elves aren't allowed to use bad words," she said, then pirouetted around before me. Damn. She may have been tiny, but she did have a nicely-shaped little body. The tight green elf costume didn't leave much to the imagination, especially with that short frilly skirt . . . .

The girl suddenly grinned, showing dimples. "You checking me out, mister?" she giggled.

I blushed.

Christ, she can't be more than a kid

—

"It's okay," she said casually, as if reading my thoughts. "I'm a lot older than I look. We elves don't show our age, you know."

I arched an interested eyebrow.

Is this girl flirting with me?

She bit her lip and rocked back and forth on her heels, pushing her little breasts out toward me. "Darn tootin' I am."

Now this was just getting too weird for words. This girl was acting like she really

could

read my mind. And so far, it seemed she was.

Abruptly, the girl spun around and leaned against me, pressing her little body against mine. She slapped her hands to my hips and wiggled playfully. "So, if you're not here to sit on St. Nick's lap, then why?"

I was surprised at the girl's bold move. To be honest, her forwardness was a little intimidating. "Um . . . I'm here with my niece," I said, tentatively putting my hands on her narrow shoulders. The top of her head was a few inches below my chin. She smelled sweetly of peppermint.

She pulled her hands from my hips then slapped them over my own, pulling them away. "Okay, lemme guess," she said, then suddenly clapped my hands directly onto her firm breasts. They were perfectly round, like softballs cut in half, with stiff nipples that stabbed right into my palm. "The little one with the brown hair? Red jacket?"

My eyes bulged. I looked around, wondering if anyone noticed how I was groping this girl. A few glances were cast my way, eyebrows arched in wonder. But, quickly enough, the flirtatious little elf slid my hand from her breasts to her waist.

"Uh, yeah . . . ." I said, wondering if this girl was being serious, or if she was just a curvy little teasing piece of jailbait.

She suddenly tilted her head back, looking up at me with her upside-down face. "I told you, I'm old enough. Don't worry about it."

"Would you stop doing that? Reading my mind, I mean."

The elf spun around against me, pleasantly rubbing her body against mine. My swelling groin was pressed against her little stomach. "Sorry," she said. "Habit."

I gave her a funny look. My statement had been rhetorical; hers wasn't.

"So," she said, taking my hands and leaning back, trusting me to support her weight. It wasn't difficult; she wasn't even a hundred pounds. She eased back until both our arms were extended. The ends of her honey-colored hair brushed the floor. A young man and his girlfriend stumbled out of the way as she blocked their path. They gave me a curious look.

"So?" I asked her, starting to enjoy her playful attentions. Especially now that, they way she was literally hanging off my arm, her little feet planted against mine, I could practically see up her skirt. Her legs were nicely slim yet muscular, with a golden tone to her skin that matched her face and arms.

She jerked herself back up and bounced on her feet, grinning. Her little breasts jiggled under her top, giving me ideas of what I would like to do with them . . . and the rest of her.

"So . . . If you

were

standing in line to sit on jelly-belly's lap, what would you ask for?" she inquired, gently squeezing my hands.

I laughed. "Santa Claus is for the kids," I said.

The girl frowned and pouted. "You telling me you don't believe in Santa?" she asked.

I shook my head with a smile. "Do you?"

"Duh!" she exclaimed. "He's right there! Why are you such a fuddy-duddy?"

I smirked.

'Fuddy-duddy.' Cute.

"I'm just . . . realistic."

She gave me a contemplative look. "So . . . if you did have a Christmas wish, and it came true, would that make you believe?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, sure."

"Goody!" the girl exclaimed, and slapped my hands onto her slender hips, leaning into me again. There was just something so undeniably sexual about her, despite her girlish demeanor. Her playful round eyes glowed up at me. "So what's your wish?"

I met her gaze. "You can read minds," I said. "What do you think?"

The girl gave me a look of shocked innocence, clapping her hands to her cheeks. Her beautiful blue eyes flashed, catching the light. "Oh, my!" she exclaimed dramatically. "You're embarrassing me, Dave!"

I frowned. "How'd you know my name?"

She giggled. "You told me, silly!"

My frown deepened.

I did?

She suddenly proffered her hand. "And I'm . . . Trish," she said, as if she had to think to remember her name.

I chuckled, took her hand, bent to kiss her fingers. Trish giggled again and slinked closer.

"Oo! A gentleman," she cooed. Her eyes glowed again as she moved closer. "I like that. I like that a lot."

"Are you always this forward?" I asked her as Trish gripped my hand with both of hers.

She rolled her shoulders. "Sorry. That's my nymph heritage." She rolled her eyes. "And you know how

they

are."

I smiled.

No, but I'd love to find out.

Her eyes flashed. "Okay, so where are we going?" she asked suddenly.

I blinked. "Huh?"

Trish bit her lip. "Well, aren't we gonna go out on a date?" she asked buoyantly. "I mean, you don't have a girlfriend, and no one likes to spend the holidays alone."

"What makes you think I don't have a girlfriend?"

Trish leaned against me, pressing that warm, firm body against mine and smiling up at me, her chin on my chest. "'Cause you wouldn't'a been groping my boobies if you did," she said with an impish smile.

I settled my hands on her tiny back. "You've got a point."

Trish giggled. "I got two of them, can'tcha feel?" she said, and wiggled her body, grinding her breasts against my stomach. I could, indeed, feel her nipples through the thin layers of clothing between us.

I took a breath to try to suppress my rising libido. I had never had a girl come on to me like this before, so blatant and sexual, yet also playful. It was as if someone had taken a girl scout, high school cheerleader, and porn star and put them all together in one sexy little body.

I reminded myself of where we were: in a crowded mall, six days before Christmas, standing out in the middle of the galleria as my niece sat on a mall Santa's lap. I smiled as I watched Jana recite her prepared list to the jovial fat man.

Trish pushed back and turned around, curling my right arm about her tiny waist. "Oh, she's a sweetie," she said, looking upon Jana.

"Yeah, she is," I agreed. "I love her to death."

Trish chewed her lip as she wore a sympathetic smile. "She wants her mommy and daddy to get back together. It's the first thing on her list."

I gave Trish a curious look.

How does she know that?

My attention returned to Jana as she gave Santa a hug and a kiss on his cheek. She jumped down and ran toward me, threading her way through the throng of people, a big grin on her face. I laughed at her exuberance and let go of Trish's hand, just in time to squat down and meet Jana's charge.

"I saw Santa, Uncle Dave!" my niece screeched happily, wrapping her arms around me. She squeezed me tight the way only a little girl could, pressing her grinning cheek to mine.

I gently pushed her back. "Did you tell him everything you wanted, sunshine?" I asked, using my pet name for her.

Jana bounced on her feet. "Yeah!" she said, and held up a little candy cane. "And he gave me candy, too!"

I chuckled. "Maybe you better hang on to that," I suggested. "Your mom's already gonna be mad at me because of those chocolate-covered cherries."

The nine-year-old rolled her eyes. "Okay, Uncle Dave," she said. She suddenly noticed Trisch, standing beside us, and her eyes lit up. "Are you one of Santa's elves?"

Trish grinned and stooped slightly, hands on her knees. She wasn't that much taller than my niece, I realized. "I sure am, sweetheart," she said. "You're Jana, right? My name's Trish. I'm your Uncle Dave's new friend."

Jana's excited eyes darted back and forth between Trish and I. "Wow! Really? That's cool!"

Trish's glittering face matched my niece's enthusiasm. She touched Jana's nose casually, making her giggle. "Santa's a really nice guy, isn't he?"

Jana nodded vehemently. "Uh-huh," she agreed. "He said I was a good girl this year."

"Well, I'll tell you what," Trish said. "Santa can't make

every

little girl's wish come true, but . . . I'll put in a good word for you, okay?"

Jana's face glowed as she grinned. "Really?"

Trish nodded. "Promise."

Jana squealed happily, clapping her hands together. She looked to me. "I like her, Uncle Dave," she declared.

I chuckled, hugged my niece again, looking to Trish's angelic face. "Yeah, I like her, too."

Trish smiled.

***

Jana scrambled onto my back, wrapping her arms and legs around me as I headed back through the mall, Trish walking beside me and holding my hand. I noticed more than a few men looking Trish over in her sexy little elf costume. The skirt really didn't do much to preserve her modesty. Trish seemed to be enjoying the attention; her smile was constant.

I wondered how it was that this sexy little thing had latched onto me so quickly and eagerly. I had never thought I was the kind of man to attract much attention from women; not that I was a social maladroit, and I was always considered handsome. But girls had never thrown themselves at me the way Trish had. I finally decided not to worry about it, and to enjoy Trish's attention.

I just hope she's not a psycho.

We reached the entrance to the mall, with cold air and snowflakes blowing in from outside. I shivered at the sudden contrast, and Jana hugged me tighter, making a 'brrr' sound. Trish didn't seem the least bit affected.

"Hey, gimme a sec, okay?" Trish asked, pulling away as she noticed a couple of similarly-clad girls standing beside a candy stand. Like Trish, the girls were very tiny, and also like Trish, very sexy and curvy. One was a brunette, the other a redhead, with long, curly locks. They both looked so much like Trish it was eerie.

Triplets,

I figured

. They gotta be triplets . . . they just dye their hair differently, that's all.

"So is she your girlfriend, Uncle Dave?" giggled Jana in my ear.

Good question

. "Um . . . maybe," I said awkwardly. A thought struck me. "Hey, can I see your Christmas list?"

"Sure!" agreed Jana, and I felt her wriggling against my back. "It's okay for you to see it now, since Santa already has."

I chuckled at her nine-year-old logic. Jana handed me the crumpled list, written on a piece of pink stationery with a little cartoon kitten in one corner. It was a short list, at the top of which . . . .

"1. I want mommy and daddy to be happy again."

A chill went through me.

How had Trish known?

"Is it a good list, Uncle Dave?" asked Jana's innocent voice.

I smiled, pressing my cheek to hers. "It's the best list I've ever seen," I told her. "You didn't show it to anybody before you saw Santa, did you?"

"No way! That would jinx it! Only you and Santa have ever seen it!"

Thought so

. I handed the list back to my niece, looked back to Trish. She left her nearly-identical fellow elves and skipped back toward me, blonde hair bouncing around her girlishly-grinning face. Her tiny skirt flapped against her upper thighs.

"So!" she said as she took my hands again. "Where are we going?"

I couldn't help but smile. "I gotta take my niece home first, but . . . are you hungry?"

Trish flashed her eyes. "I'm starving!" she declared. "Can we have pizza? I haven't had pizza in so long!"

"Sure. Anything you want," I agreed as we headed outside. Trish took my hand again and walked beside me as I piggy-backed Jana through the parking lot. I felt the chill instantly through my leather jacket and sweater, even with my niece's body heat. It was close to freezing, and snow was falling all around us in thick, heavy flakes.

But in just her skimpy green outfit, legs bared and only her little curl-toed shoes covering her feet, Trish didn't seem cold at all. She was as comfortable in the frigid outside air as she had been in the mall.

"Aren't you cold, Trish?"

She made a 'pfft!' sound, brush snowflakes out of her hair. "This ain't nothing compared to where I'm from," she proclaimed.

"Yeah, she's from the North Pole, Uncle Dave!" said Jana, her nine-year-old mind working its usual logic. "It's like a bazillion degrees below freezing there!"

I pursed my lips. "Oh, right," I said.

Trish gave me a little smile and winked. Her hand was warm in mine.

***

Trish waited in the car as I dropped Jana off at the house. My sister greeted her squealing, exuberant daughter with a hug at the door, and Janna immediately fell into a mile-a-minute monologue about Santa, the mall, and 'Uncle Dave's new girlfriend.'

My sister Vickie gave me an interested look. "'Girlfriend?'" she asked as Jana ran into the living room where mine and my sister's grandparents sat.

I smiled sheepishly. "We, uh . . . just met," I said, glancing back to my car. I could just make out Trish's blonde head in the front seat.

Vickie craned her neck, looking. "Well, bring her in," she said, and gave me a smirk.

I scratched the back of my head. "Eh . . . we've got a date," I said. "She wants pizza."

My sister chuckled. "Well, good for you," she said, playfully punching my arm. "It's about time you got over Donna."

I screwed up my face. "Yeah, well, um," I said awkwardly, taking steps back and gesturing behind me. "I gotta, well, um, you know—"

Vickie rolled her eyes, still smiling. "You have your key, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "Uh . . . good night, sis."

Vickie shook her head, laughing. "Good night, little brother," she said as she closed the door. "Have fun!"

I blushed and turned back to the car. Trish was grinning at me as I approached and headed around to the driver-side door.

"You're so cute when you're flustered!" she exclaimed as I got in.

I stared at her, sitting with her legs curled beneath her on the seat. The heater had warmed the car as it idled, yet I had the feeling that it could have been ice-cold in the car and Trish wouldn't have cared.

"I just wanna say something," I said, staring into her pixie-like blue eyes.

Trish bit her lip and leaned closer. "What's that?"

"You're the most incredibly beautiful woman I've ever met," I said honestly.

Trish's eyes softened. She licked her soft lips. "I think we gotta get something out of the way," she said.

"What's that?" I asked, staring at her sexy mouth as Trish leaned even closer.

"This," she whispered, and pressed her lips to mine, kissing softly, deeply. She slid halfway across my body, pressing her hands to my chest. Trish moaned and sighed softly, sucking ardently on my lips and searching for my tongue with her own. I willingly responded, meeting her passionate kisses with my own. I discovered that she didn't just smell like peppermint, she tasted like it, too.

Trish finally pulled back with a soft sigh, touching my lips and staring into my eyes. My heart was pounding with desire for this girl. Never had a kiss been so arousing.

"There," she said, her voice soft and breathy. "That's better."

I smiled.

Maybe for you

, I thought.

But now I've got a serious hard-on!

Trish glanced down to my lap and giggled upon seeing the bulge in my jeans. She slid back into her seat, giving me a coy smile that seemed to say,

'Don't worry, I'll take care of that soon.'

God, I hope so.

***

The best place in town for pizza was Constantine's, located on the edge of a large city park. The diner-style restaurant was fairly busy when Trish and I headed inside. She was still in her little elf costume, of course, and just about every guy in the place looked at her like she was the gift they wished Santa would leave under their tree. The fact that Trish was hanging off my arm did wonders for my ego.

The restaurant had wooden tables draped with red-and-white checkered cloths and simple, red-padded stools. Trish and I took one near the window, away from the middle of the room. Our waitress commented on Trish's costume before taking our drink order.

"What are you drinking?" Trish asked me.

"Um . . . Coke works fine for me."

"Me, too," said Trish. She giggled as the waitress stepped away, then pushed her menu aside and leaned across the table, pushing up with her knees upon the stool. She gave me a soft, wet kiss, then leaned back while licking her lips. "I'm gonna make it a personal rule to give you at least one kiss every fifteen minutes, okay?"

I chuckled. "I'm not gonna argue with you."

"Better not," she said. Her eyes dipped to my open menu. "So what are we having?"

I shrugged. "What do you like?"

"Everything," she said with a flash of her eyes. "Especially you."

"Well, unfortunately, I don't come on a pizza," I said.

Trish's eyes smoldered sexily. "I bet I could make you," she said suggestively, pouting her lips just a little.

And there it was, Mr. Erection once again. I stared at Trish, suddenly wanting nothing more than to drag her across the table, rip her clothes off, and—