My entry for the
Literotica Winter Holidays Story Contest 2024
! I decided I wanted it a bit cheesy. Enjoy, and happy holidays!
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Diana was impressed by the lengths the staff had gone to to decorate Cherryhill Manor for Christmas. Not only was the front lawn twinkling with an impressive display of tasteful lights, but the entryway itself contained no less than four Christmas trees. The pine boughs sparkled in all their multicolored glory as Diana walked across the red runner that covered the marble floor. When she inhaled, the pine scent took her back to Christmases of her childhood, which had always, without fail, included a real tree.
Christmas music carried through the air, faint and twinkly as Diana headed to the reception area.
"Welcome, Diana," said the woman behind the big wooden front desk, which was draped in red velvet ribbon. "Please, help yourself to a sugar cookie while I check you in."
Diana brushed back a few wisps of dark brown hair that had fallen out of her low, loose braid. She happily munched on one of the cookies from the platter on the desk, realizing these were not store-bought cookies like the ones she had brought to the work party the week before.
She blushed thinking about how no one had touched her cookies, how they'd fallen to the wayside while everyone enjoyed each other's homemade dishes. Diana didn't understand how people managed to pull it off. When did they find the time? When did they find the brain power?
"You'll be staying in room eight," said the receptionist, reaching for a key from a box behind her. "Let me call Parker to show you to your room."
"Oh, that's okay," said Diana, waving her off. "I've only got one bag. Thank you, though. If you could just point me in the right direction?"
"Certainly. It's just up the stairs, to the right, and it's the first door you'll come to. Enjoy your stay at Cherryhill, and please let us know if you need anything. We have a special Christmas Eve brunch tomorrow morning at 10:00, so be sure not to miss that."
Diana took another cookie as she went up to her room, eyes admiring the intricately carved stair banister. The manor was really quite beautiful, even more impressive than the pictures she'd seen online. The stone walls were lined with antique portraits, nestled against green pine branches that Diana presumed were added just for the holiday season.
She got to her room and slid the key into the lock. When was the last time, if ever, that she had used an actual key to open a hotel room?
But when she realized the key was stuck, she understood why.
Diana wiggled the key a bit and tried again, but to no avail.
She was about to turn around and head back to reception when the door beside her opened.
"Did yours get stuck too?"
Diana turned to look at the man standing in the hallway. He was about six foot tall with thick, wavy hair and a closely shaved beard. His green flannel shirt and jeans made him look ready to go chop down a Christmas tree.
"Here," he said. "May I?"
Diana nodded. "Feel free."
"The trick is to pull it out just a little bit as you turn it." The lock finally clicked. "There you go."
Diana pushed open the door to her room and turned to face the stranger. "Thank you."
"No problem."
The man hesitated, and Diana thought she saw his lips twitch, as though holding back from speaking.
"Anyway, thanks again," she said quickly, bringing her bag into the room. "See you."
"See you. And Merry Christmas."
Once inside, Diana locked the door and surveyed her room. It was classically styled, with a four-poster bed draped in lush red fabric. The large window overlooked the back lawn, which was blanketed in fresh snow.
Diana walked over the large, ornate rug covering the floor and tossed her bag onto the bed. She hadn't packed much. There had been no reason to. It was perhaps a little strange, yes, that Diana wasn't from out of town. In fact, she only lived fifteen minutes away from Cherryhill Manor.
But she needed a break this year. She didn't feel like decorating for Christmas when she lived alone and wouldn't be spending the holidays with anybody. After her father had passed away two years ago and her sister had moved across the world, it seemed like Christmas would never be the same.
That night, Diana took a long, hot bath while watching "The Santa Clause" on her laptop. She sipped some wine and settled into the warm water. This was perfect. This was far more enjoyable than sitting around her house, devoid of any Christmas cheer.
The staff had left a plate of sugar cookies on the vanity, which Diana snacked on in between sips of wine. How long had it been since she'd felt so relaxed? There were no work projects to worry about. There were no neighbors offering to help her hang Christmas lights, which Diana knew was both a friendly gesture and also a subtle plea for her to blend in to the most festive and well-decorated street in the country.
The next morning, Diana walked into the small dining room, her stomach rumbling at the smell of bacon and coffee. She was only the second person there, and she realized as he turned around that it was her next-door neighbor who was the first.
"Good morning!" he said, giving her a wave. "Care to join me?"
Diana looked around like he might be talking to someone else. "Sure," she said finally. "Let me just grab some coffee first."
The brunch was served buffet style, with carafes of coffee and juice, with the option of champagne. Huge platters offered up crispy bacon, pancakes, and eggs, along with fresh cut fruit. Christmas music played through the speakers, and when Diana looked out over the huge window above the buffet, she saw that the snow had picked up again. It was coming down in slow, fat flakes.
"Hope you don't think I'm a pain," said the man, as Diana sat down across from him. "I'm Liam, by the way."
Diana introduced herself. "Not a pain! I'm not here with anybody. So it's kind of... nice." She sipped her coffee. "To have company for brunch."
Liam brought a forkful of pancake to his mouth. "Same," he said. "It's just me. I'm passing through on a country-wide road trip and decided to stay in one place for Christmas."
Diana's gray-blue eyes looked at him with great interest. "A road trip? Sounds fun. Where did you start?"
"Portland, Oregon. And the end stop is Portland, Maine. I've got a converted van. It's nice, don't get me wrong. But for the holidays, I figured I'd settle in somewhere."
"Well, you picked the perfect place. It's like Christmas central here." Diana chewed her bacon. "But wow, that's bold of you, though. I'm jealous. I could never do something like that."
She meant it, too. She had never done anything so brave or wild. When she thought about it, her life was pretty stale. Diana couldn't remember when exactly her life had become all about work, but that was the reality these days.
"So where are you from?" asked Liam, leaning back comfortably in his chair. He was wearing a gray crew neck sweatshirt, and his hair was coifed perfectly into styled waves.
Struck suddenly by how painfully handsome this man was, she ran her hands self-consciously over her hair, hoping that the bubbles from last night's bath hadn't dried out the ends too much.
"I'm actually a local," she admitted. "I don't have family in the area and didn't feel like decorating for Christmas. But I'm not a total grinch, so I decided to come here for a bit of cheer."
Liam grinned. His amber brown eyes held Diana's gaze. "So does this mean I can convince you to join me in the caroling event tonight?"
Diana held back a laugh of surprise. She couldn't picture this cool, cross-country-traveling guy participating in something as cheesy as caroling at Cherryhill Manor.
But for some reason, whether it was because of Liam's charming smile or just the Christmas spirit, Diana said yes.
**
It was the best Christmas Eve Diana had had in a long time. All of the guests at Cherryhill got together and sang carols out on the back lawn while roasting chestnuts over top of the fire. It was a scene made picturesque thanks to the thick layer of snow and the icicle lights hanging from the roof.
"I heard there's 'adult' eggnog," said Liam, wiggling his eyebrows at Diana.
She laughed, exhaling a cloud of breath against the cold air. "PLEASE point me in that direction."
The two of them each got a generous helping of spiced, boozy eggnog and then headed back to the fire to warm their hands.
"Wow," said Diana, half-coughing as she took her first sip. "That's strong."
"I like it." Liam drank, licked his lips, and then smiled at her. His nose was tinged pink from the cold. "I didn't think I'd meet someone like you here. I was fully prepared to be the only guest here for Christmas, aside from maybe one ninety-year-old couple." Liam laughed. "I'm pleasantly surprised."
The brandy was making Diana feel warm and tingly, and Liam's earnest words were also doing the trick. "Same," she said, wiggling her fingers over top of the fire. "I was prepared to be lonely, to be honest. But I thought, 'hey, at least let me be lonely with breakfast.'"
"Life on the road is lonely too. I like to be alone, but there's a difference between loneliness and being on your own. I'd be lying if I said I didn't crave company sometimes. I was going through the desert last month and saw the most amazing sunset ever. It looked unreal. And I thought, 'damn, I wish I had someone here to see it with me.'" Liam looked down into the fire, the flames making shadows dance over his face.
Diana wanted to run her fingers across his scruffy beard and through his hair. She sipped her eggnog and thought about how long it had been since she'd even cuddled someone. Or had a hug other than bidding farewell to one of her girlfriends after a rare dinner date.
Sad. That's what it was.
"I'm a workaholic, I guess," Diana finally admitted, taking a long drink from the red and green paper cup in her hands. "And of course, I ended up hitting a wall. I got burnt out. So I decided to take some time off for Christmas, to recover. It's so rare that I take any time off, even for just a day. But this felt... necessary."
Liam frowned. "What do you do?"
"Project Manager. It's not even worth explaining, to be honest. It's a lot of work. And somehow, it's become my whole life." She finally looked over at Liam. "That's why I feel so jealous of you and your road trip. I think I missed the chance to do anything like that."
"Nope." Liam was adamantly shaking his head. "No, you didn't. You can still do whatever you want to do. I'm a firm believer in seizing the day and doing what makes you happy. Whatever that looks like."
Diana bit her bottom lip. She didn't know what made her happy. That was the problem.
"Oh god," said Liam, looking over in horror to see that Diana's eyes were shining with tears. "Shit, I wasn't trying to be so sappy. It's Christmas Eve, and I'm over here making things sad. I'm sorry, Diana."
She sniffed and laughed, turning around briefly so Liam couldn't see her wiping her nose. "It's fine, it's fine. It's the eggnog. Brandy, uh, makes me... weepy."
