"I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus..."
These familiar holiday lyrics, sung by a Caribbean reggae singer, sounded so amazing that I couldn't imagine listening to anything else at that moment. I decided to take a break from mingling and take it all in. High above myself and the other holiday partygoers, the atrium ceiling lit up with the shine of hundreds of tiny white bulbs, holiday lights shining like stars.
The stage was decorated with green garlands, framing the musicians under the spotlight with their eyes lost in the harmony they created. The steel drums, the acoustic guitar, the maracas, the sweat beading up on their temples... it was all so exotic, providing the perfect warm escape from the cold snow and brisk winds that blew just outside.
And an escape was just what I needed. Maybe an office holiday party shouldn't be considered as such, but reality had not been serving me well as of late, and the approaching holidays only made it more difficult.
The dark room, the winks from various men from my office, and the soothing warmth of the spiced brandy sliding down my throat, was a welcome distraction from the recent memory of my husband Gavin packing up his belongings and leaving me. It was Thanksgiving Day, and after holding my face in his hands, kissing me on the forehead, and whispering, "I truly love you," he threw his bags into the back of an emerald green BMW SUV driven by a busty blonde ski bunny at least ten years his junior. Then they ran for the hills, literally.
And now I found myself sitting alone at the bar at an extravagant company holiday party, contemplating which of the men who had shown interest in me tonight deserved my vengeful reciprocation. Should it be James, the president and CEO, who for some reason showed up tonight sans his wife, a woman known for jumping at any opportunity to tout her plastic surgeon's latest work? Or maybe Evan, a new hire in the marketing department- a handsome twenty-something with the most amazing pectoral muscles and biceps that I secretly admired whenever he offered to help me carry the box of paper to fill the photocopier. Even David, my long-time partner in the sales department, who I spend more time with than anybody was a possibility. There had always been something more between he and I than sales strategies... maybe tonight we could finally close our own deal.
As I looked out over the crowd from the bar, watching each "candidate", I suddenly felt a presence next to me and heard a light jingle, the sound of bells. It was a face I had never seen before- a blonde woman about my age (mid-thirties) in a stunning short red dress that showed off her enviable curves. She donned a Santa hat, bells around her neck, and bright red lips, somehow pulling it all off without looking tacky- something I could never manage to achieve myself. She arranged herself on the stool next to me, fidgeting a little insecurely with the hemline of her skirt pulling up her thighs. She waved down the bartender, asking for something "festive".
When I glanced at her, our eyes met, and we smiled at each other. Struggling with my own dress on the high barstool, I whispered, "They definitely don't design these stools with Versace in mind." We laughed, and while the bartender brought her drink and then turned to make another, we caught each other both admiring his tight derriere, and giggled like schoolgirls. I liked her already.
I had barely learned her name was Angel when I felt someone between us from behind, and an arm around my shoulder. It was Tom, from Human Resources. Known for being unable to handle his alcohol, he held on to both Angel and I for balance. "Hey, I didn't know you had a sister," he slurred loudly in my ear. "Wow, I never dreamed there could be two of you beauties!"
Realizing that we did look a bit similar, only in different colored dresses, and me without the holiday "bling", we giggled again. Tom took that as his queue to continue. "You ladies are a sight for sore eyes. I've been a good boy this year- what I wouldn't do to have Santa bring me you two-."
Jeremy, a buddy of Tom's, popped up behind us, interrupting him. He started pulling on Tom's arm, rolling his eyes apologetically at Angel and I.
"Tom, you are going to get fired if you stay here any longer. Let's get out of here." Jeremy nodded his goodbye before dragging the reluctant Tom towards the exit.
The next thing I knew, there was another drink in front of me, some kind of alcoholic eggnog concoction, courtesy of Angel. The reggae band started in on a soft Caribbean rendition of Feliz Navidad.
Angel informed me that she had originally come to the party with her boyfriend, Chris, an executive in accounting whose name I recognized. At dinner, Angel had accidentally spilled her butternut squash soup all over his lap during the first course, and he insisted on heading home to change his clothes without her. He still hadn't returned, and dinner had ended more than two hours ago.
She told me she was a hair stylist and massage therapist at one of the most exclusive salons in the city. Now in her ninth year of working there, she was currently undergoing plans to purchase the business from the owner. She lit up as she told me her ideas for the spa once it would finally become her own.
While we sipped drink after drink, chatting away like old friends, I took a good look at her. Her light hair was tied up in a sophisticated up do underneath that cute Santa hat, and I admired the way her perky, full breasts framed her cleavage in her strapless dress. The Christmas bell necklace accentuated her neckline. Her long legs were slim, smooth, and sparkly, even without stockings. Her three-inch red heels accentuated the muscles in her long calves. I wondered why I had this strange feeling in my stomach as I looked at her. After all, I looked at beautiful women every day- they were everywhere. It was just envy, as usual. Or was it?
Feeling a little woozy, I felt the need to sneak off to the ladies room. I excused myself and sauntered towards the bathroom, praying that I wouldn't trip. Evan, my copy paper helper, saw me and stood up to come towards me, but I quickly looked away and kept moving.
Once in the bathroom, I dashed into a stall as I struggled to collect myself. The sound from the reggae band was muffled. I had had a few too many. After flushing the toilet, I adjusted my black thigh-highs and tugged at my dress. It was an overpriced short tight strapless thing not unlike Angel's, and once in front of the bathroom mirror, I checked to see how my cleavage looked in comparison. I wasn't exactly eighteen anymore, but at least I could still get away with not wearing a bra.
Just then, I heard the bathroom door open, the jingle of bells, and heels on the ceramic floor. It sounded like reindeers, but it was Angel.
"I figured I better check on you- you looked a bit flushed out there," she said.
I smiled. "Yes, Angel, I think I may have overdone it on the eggnog. I'm surprised I lasted on that barstool so long, to be honest.
I watched her as she looked in the mirror, pulled out a lipgloss, and spread it on her pouty lips. I washed my hands and then applied hand lotion from my own pocketbook. Ready to go back out there, we faced each other. I laughed, still feeling a little dizzy. Closer to the door on our way out, Angel turned to face me and put her hands on my arms to jokingly steady me. "You going to be okay?" she asked.
Before I could answer, she was pointing at my neck. "Your necklace is twisted... here, turn around, let me fix it for you."
I turned back towards the bathroom and suddenly I heard the switch of the light, a lock of a door, and complete darkness.
Before I could register what had happened, I felt Angel's hands lifting up my hair and her breath on my neck. She was kissing me, slowly running her lips across the nape of my neck. I was in shock, but too tipsy to immediately react. I couldn't ignore the fact that it actually felt good. What was going on?
Before I could even think, her hands were nimbly working the clasp on my necklace, and she had straightened it out. The lights were suddenly back on and the door unlocked. I turned back towards her and saw her big smile.
"Good as new!" she announced, as she flung open the door and we headed back to the bar as if nothing had happened.
Realizing that I was never going to make it home if I had but one more drink, and feeling a little dizzy and strange from what happened, I told Angel I had to be on my way. I thought I saw a flash of disappointment on her face, but she simply tipped her glass at me and said, "good luck." We went through the usual, "It was so nice to meet you" exchange, and I headed out of the party quickly, avoiding eye contact with any of my aforementioned "candidates."
***
A week later, it was the Friday before Christmas, and I headed home from work to my dark and lonely house. I hadn't even bothered with Christmas decorations this year- not even the tree. In fact, in true grinch spirit, I was hoping I could get away with not acknowledging it all this year.
No such luck. I pressed the button on my answering machine to hear my sister babbling on about the family's plans for Christmas Day. Beep. Now it was my girlfriend Jessica wondering if Gavin and I could come to a cocktail party on Christmas Eve.
I still hadn't actually gotten around to spreading the news of Gavin's exit from my life. The truth was, I wasn't even thinking about Gavin anymore. For some crazy reason, all I could think about was Angel and the sensation I got from feeling her lips on the back of my neck.
At night as I lay in bed alone, just thinking about that moment with her filled me with a strange desire. I touched myself, fantasizing about what else could have happened in that bathroom that night.
And what was I to do? She was gone and that was that. I had no phone number, no address, nothing. And then, as I brushed my teeth that evening and noticed that I could use a good haircut, I remembered the spa.
The next morning I looked up Angel's spa in the phonebook, called, and requested a cut and conditioning treatment with her by name. Apparently, there was normally a three-month wait for her services, but I was in luck- there had been a cancellation for later in the day. I smiled with relief and excitement.
When I got to the spa, I was amazed. It was beautiful. There was a waterfall in the lobby behind a twenty-foot Christmas tree, and I could see at least twenty chairs of stylists working their magic like little elves. The advanced sound system was pumping Christmas music club-style and it seemed like all the clients had a glass of wine and a smile. I gave the young girl at the front desk my name, and she jumped up as if she had been expecting me.
I was expecting to wait in the waiting room flipping through People Magazine for fifteen minutes, my usual experience at these kinds of establishments. But instead, I was immediately led down a hallway into a small room with a massage table.
"I think there's been a mistake," I said to the girl before she could close the door behind me. "I'm just here for a hair cut."
She looked down at her clipboard and read out loud, "One massage on the house- courtesy of Angel," she smiled. She gestured for me to take off my clothes and put on the towel wrap. The garment reminded me of the little dress both Angel and I had worn to the office holiday party, only this time it was a snow-white terry cloth, and even shorter.
As I sat on the table, I looked around. The club-style music had been shut out, and now I was surrounded by a slow, chanting, rendition of the popular holiday song, "Greensleeves." A string of holiday lights along the ceiling, accompanied by candles adorning the walls, provided the faint, sultry light.
