Santa Baby~Chapter 1



Pregnant at seventeen, dropping out of high school her senior year, living in a sardine can of an apartment in the slums of town. With all that against her, Belle Black still somehow managed to think that she was better than anyone else.

She stood across the room, away from the other girls, and alone. She spent most of her time in the backstage area before a show, alone. Meredith Danner thought it was the snob in Belle that kept her from socializing. In fact, she was sure that Belle thought she was too good to be working at the Flamingo. And for that, Meredith had developed a extreme dislike for the woman she barely knew.

She watched Belle now, studying her nails and humming the song they were to sing. Lord, she'd love to go up to her and just pull her hair. Just like she used to do as a kid, whenever she didn't like one of the other girls on the playground, she just tugged at their hair and took pride in the fact that she could make them cry. She'd love to see Belle cry. She'd absolutely love it.

"All right, ladies, five minutes till show time." A tall man rushed into the crowd girls, clapped his hands twice and immediately received the attention of everyone in the room. "And let's remember, this is our opening for the holiday season, which means it should be a step above our regular shows. I want you girls to knock 'em dead." His bright blue eyes skimmed the faces, landed on Belle's. "Miss Black, I need a word with you after the show." With a knowing smile, he stepped out of the room and left the girls whispering and speculating.

Alex Turner was the owner of The Pink Flamingo, and the object of affection of every girl that worked there. With traditional 'golden boy' looks, he'd always been the envy of other men and the prize-to-be-won for women. With his dazzling blue eyes begging for attention, he rarely went unnoticed in a crowd; however, one woman in particular hadn't seemed to notice him yet. And that one woman had become his objective.

He could still remember the day he hired Belle Black. It'd been over two years ago now. Two long, painfully frustrating years of looking and never--ever touching. She pranced around in the costumes that he'd chosen just for her. She danced the seductive steps that he'd had choreographed just for her. She gave him her friendship, but never anything more, while he waited and waited--just for her.

She'd come in to his club as a last resort. He always liked to look at it as a twist of fate that all the restaurants in town weren't hiring at the time that she was searching, so desperately, for a job.

Her little girl was sick, he remembered. Terribly sick, and she'd needed a job that offered health insurance. He always had. He paid his girls next-to-nothing, but rewarded them with tons of benefits and fair treatment. When she learned that he did offer health insurance, which would take effect almost immediately, she snatched the job up like a starving puppy would snatch up a scrap of meat.

He smiled on it now as he stepped into the janitor's closet that he'd converted into an office. Belle Black with her blonde curls and bright blue eyes, who was so shy in her first few weeks of work that he'd allowed her to serve drinks in jeans and a T-shirt. He'd never done anything like that for any of his dancers before, and he never would again. Belle was special. She was amazing. He knew it the moment he saw her and had been doting on the fact ever since.

A wicked grin was playing across his lips when he heard the music start up. With that same grin plastered to his face, he straightened his tie and stepped out into the club to enjoy the show.

The outfits he'd chosen for the dance looked very much like something a Rockette would dance in. It was a Mrs. Clause costume, not very original, but damn sexy to any male who had eyes. Red velvet stretched seductively across the bodice, down the torso and extended out into a girlish little skirt that left nothing to the imagination. Both the skirt and collar were trimmed with faux white fur, as was the Santa hat that each of the girl's wore on their head. Red, fishnet hose stretched up the length of their legs and highlighted the thin, long lines of them. At the end of those legs, bright red stiletto heels had each of the beautiful ladies reaching towards the ceiling. Their matching Candy Apple lipstick added a layer of seduction to the costumes and left many of the customers drooling and drunk.

A smile of satisfaction spread across his lips as he watched them prance, shake, slide and shimmy to the music. Each girl adding their own unique and sensual move to the dance. Oh yes, he was opening the holiday season off right, and this year, he was going to have his own little Mrs. Clause to toy with.

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Though he told her to come into his office immediately after the show, she made a quick detour to the dressing rooms, in order to remove her lipstick and regain some of her composure. She'd seen his eyes so fixated on her during the dance. She'd seen the unmistakable heat that had come into them, and it had left her in shambles.

She would have had to have been blind to not be attracted to the man. Those blue eyes, that amazingly lean and muscled body. Oh yeah, she could slip right into bed with him and never flutter an eyelash about it. But thinking with hormones was a dangerous mistake that she'd never make again.

He reminded her too much of Phillip, and boys/men like Phillip and Alex only meant trouble for girls like her. She dampened a wash cloth and rubbed it across her lips. The red lipstick disappeared, leaving her full, sensuous lips natural and naked. Phillip used to have a fit when she'd not worn lipstick or makeup in public. He'd seen it as uncivilized. He'd seen her as uncivilized.

And now, thinking back on all the heartache that young man with the beautiful blue eyes and the terribly cold heart, she realized what a mistake she'd made by falling in love with him. Of course, Maddy had been the result of that mistake and Maddy was anything but a mistake. Still, she couldn't risk losing her heart to another sack of shit.

With a determined look on her face, she threw on a robe, wheeled away from her dressing table and ran smack into Meredith Danner.

Meredith was a petite woman with curves that could have made her millions as an underwear model. Her mousy brown hair hung naturally to her shoulders and did this little bouncing thing that drove men up the wall. With the big, green eyes of a goddess, she knew she was beautiful and used that beauty to her benefit. Now, however, her pretty mouth was turned down in a scowl and her glowing eyes were dark with annoyance. "Watch where you're going, Barbie." She spat, spinning on her heal and heading in the opposite direction.

Belle shook her head and fell back into step. She didn't understand what she'd done to Meredith or any of the others, but dammit, she was an outcast among outcasts, and there was nothing more lonely than that.

With a sigh, she lifted a hand and knocked on Alex's office door. "Come on in." His voice was sharp and annoyed and made Belle wonder what she'd done wrong this time. Cautiously, she opened the door and stepped through. He was seated at his desk. With his hands propped behind his head and his legs stretched out across the desk, she imagined that no one in the world could look any less professional than he. He wore a foolishly sexy grin, and she could've sworn that his eyes were glued to her chest. She smiled, sheepishly and gathered her robe close to her neck as to close off any view he might have had.

"You needed me?"

He thought it was pretty foolish of her to try and cover herself up, especially when he'd already seen all that she had to offer, but with that sexy grin still plastered to his face, he straightened himself in his own seat and offered her the one across from him. "Yeah, we need to talk about Christmas bonuses." He lifted a hand and ruffled his mess of golden hair. "You see--well, the economy is down. No one goes to clubs anymore, especially our kind of club. Times are rough and well--Christ, I know how much you need it, Belle, but I'm not going to be able to give bonuses this year. It just isn't possible."

She had somewhat expected it, but the fact that she had didn't weaken the blow. Tears immediately flooded her beautiful eyes, then streamed down her face. What was she going to do? What was she going to do about Maddy's Christmas? "But--Alex, that money goes towards Maddy's Christmas gifts. Lord knows, I don't make enough without it to pay the bills and give my little girl the kind of Christmas she deserves."

When he got up from his desk and crossed over to her, she didn't turn away from the shoulder he offered and instead buried herself in it. "Oh God, Alex, what am I going to do? She'll be heartbroken."

She felt so warm and soft pressed into him like that. But now wasn't the time to try to get in her pants, now was the time for comforting. "What about your parents? Can't they help you out?"

She laughed despite herself, then pulled away, out of his reach. "You know as well as I do that they walked out of my life when they found out about Madison. They'll never be able to support me--morals and pride have always stood in their way. Besides, I don't want their help. I want to be able to give my little girl gifts from my own money. Money that I've earned." She took a step towards the office door, before glancing back at him. "Thanks for telling me in private, Al. It means a lot."

With a heavy heart, he smiled. "No problem. Now get home to that little girl of yours and give her a big kiss for me." His smile faded. To his surprise and horror, he could picture Maddy's little round face. He could picture the bright, sad tears streaming down those pudgy cheeks when she woke up on Christmas morning and realized she'd been forgotten by Santa. It broke his heart. "I'm so sorry, Belle. Christ, I'm so sorry."

"So am I, Alex, so am I."


Santa Baby~Chapter 2



If there was one soft spot in Meredith Danner's cold heart, then it was directed towards children. Even Belle Black's little girl had her mesmerized and charmed. She didn't even mind that Belle brought Madison with her to work every night. Though it wasn't the type of environment she'd want her own little girl in, she was happy to have Maddy's smiling face waiting for her after every show. Meredith went so far as insisting that she spend her breaks in the dressing room playing and watching after that adorable girl.

With a permanent smile plastered to her face, she watched as Maddy raced around the room, holding her teddy bear up high and claiming that it could fly. For a six year old, Madison Renee Black certainly had very adult looks. She'd been blessed with her mother's eyes and her father's dimples. The golden curls that hung loosely to her shoulders were her most attractive feature and gave her the delightful appearance of a tiny fairy child. She smiled her charming smile now as she played with Da, her worn-out teddy bear. He was her prized possession and kept wonderful company while Mommy was working.

She didn't really like it when her Mommy worked. There was always a fear, in her young, naive heart, that her Mommy would disappear as her Daddy had so long ago. But her Mommy would always return and no matter what time it was would wake her up and tell her a bedtime story.

She stopped piloting Da when the door to the dressing room swung open and her Mommy walked in. Without a single moment of hesitation, she bounced across the room and threw herself into her mother's waiting arms. "Mommy! Are you done working? Did you have a good day? Are we going to read a story now?" Her questions flowed out quicker than Belle could comprehend them, but with a patience that only a mother could possess, she swung her daughter around the room and did a little dance.

"Yes," she began, kissing Maddy's plump cheeks. "I am done working. My day was wonderful. We are going to read a story, just give Mommy a minute to change clothes." She let out an exasperated breath and smiled. "Is that all?"

Maddy beamed at her in total adoration and tightened her grip around her neck. "Nope--I love you, Mommy, and I'm glad you got home early tonight." Craning her neck, she looked back at Meredith. "Aren't you glad she's home early, Aunt Meredith?"

Glad wasn't exactly the word for it. Curious, Meredith tipped her head to the side and smiled knowingly at Belle. "Of course I'm glad, honey. Did Alex give you the rest of the night off, Belle?"

Belle could see the wheels turning in her colleague's head, and she didn't much care for it. Meredith was probably thinking that Al had called her into his office to fire her or fuss her out or some other wretched thing that only a true enemy could wish for a person. Pursing her lips, Belle sat Maddy back onto the floor and stripped away her robe. "If you must know, then yes, he did give me the night off. Oh, and he also told me to relay the message that he wants to have a meeting with the rest of y'all after the final shift."

The wicked smile slid off of Meredith's face. "Well then, I'll just leave you two be. I reckon y'all will go home tonight?"

She would get her daughter out of this hell hole anytime the opportunity rang. It was usually too late when Belle got off her shift to walk home, so Al had fixed up a couple of bunks in the upstairs apartment, and more often than not, Belle found herself sleeping at the club. "Yes, we're going to get a Christmas tree, aren't we, Madison?" How they would pay for it, she didn't exactly know quite yet.

With a delighted squeal, Maddy began racing across the room again. "YAAAAAAYYYY!!!"

"All right, sugar and spice, come and give Aunt Meredith a hug."

Belle watched as her daughter raced into Meredith's waiting arms. She respected the relationship that had bloomed between the two and couldn't help but feel a tug of envy. Not of Meredith, but of her daughter and the way Meredith had warmed up to her, no questions asked. She herself longed for that type of friendship and wished desperately that she could find it with Meredith.

"'Night, Aunt Meredith, I love you." Madison placed a smacking kiss on her friend's cheek then bolted away and out the door.

Her mother lingered, however, and offered Meredith a small smile. "Thank you." She mouthed, before rushing after Maddy.

Meredith stayed in the dressing room for the rest of her break, thinking about Madison Black and her mother.

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Getting dragged to some kind of a bachelor party after work was not his idea of a quiet evening. In fact, all he really wanted to do was crawl into bed and spend the evening watching television and drinking beer. But, seeing how that wasn't an option, he sulked, quietly, in the back seat of his Jason Hyatt's car and allowed himself to be dragged away to Lord knows where.

Shawn Brady listened and responded halfheartedly to his friends' argument over which strip club to go to. They'd narrowed the choices down to Grin and Bare It, a 'classy' little joint on the wrong side of town, and The Pink Flamigo, which was not technically a strip club at all.

His vote was for Grin and Bare It all the way. After all, if he had to go to this stupid bachelor party thing for this stupid friend, he would milk it for all it was worth and an 'almost' strip club was just not going to cut it.

Blake Morrow had been engaged to the lovely, long-legged Julianne Green for two, wonderfully romantic years, and finally, the two were going to tie the knot.

Shawn and Blake had been best friends since grade school and now Blake was getting married. It was almost too much for a guy to take in. How old were they now, anyway? Twenty-six? Twenty-seven? Much too young to be tying the knot. Much too young to be anywhere near the knot. But, despite Shawn's desperate efforts to talk up the wonderful advantages of a single life, Blake had gone and proposed to Jules.

It wasn't so much that Shawn had a problem with Jules. In fact, she was great. Beautiful, smart, charming, witty. Hell, maybe he should try to steal her away and marry her. The only problem with that was that the idea of marriage just wasn't very appealing to him at all. He had a feeling that it had something to do with that whole 'till-death-do-us-part' thing. Those five words scared the shit out of him.

"Shawn, yoo-hoo." Blake's hand waved in front of his friend's face, hoping to snap him out of whatever he'd slipped into. "We decided on The Pink Flamingo, that good with you?"

Shawn's chocolate-colored eyes focused on Blake's beaming face. "Yeah, sounds good." He mumbled, directing his attention back out the window and hoping that all thoughts--and fears--of marriage were gone for good.