Christmas Mix and Match

Authors note: First, my thanks to Chief Hal for his proofreading work.

One of my readers has been trying to get me to write a really good romance story. I've made several attempts, but with the constant stream of Hallmark movies my wife is watching, I thought what the hell. So here's my Hallmark style romance, just lots sexier than they can put on tv.

Since this is my holiday entry... vote high and vote often! Comments on how I did are appreciated as long as they aren't derogatory

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Jerry Winston sat at work late on Friday evening, still working. It had become even more of a focus, after his wife left. Her primary complaint was that he never spent any time with her, instead spending time at work. He couldn't disagree. His work had driven his life before she left, now it was all he had besides regret. She complained that he never arranged anything romantic and absolutely never did anything spontaneously. Everything had to be planned out, even having sex. Not that he wasn't good at it, but she complained that he treated it more like a job, than an enjoyable activity. That complaint had hit him hardest. He had loved her very much, but she said she never felt it, after the first few years, so she left after almost twenty years. When she threatened to divorce him, he told her he didn't know how to change, or even if he could. Apparently, she wasn't willing to give him the chance.

Jerry sat at his desk working on the design of a new building. There were thousands of details running around in his mind, things he had to keep straight, to coax together, to make mesh into a working system. This is what he did best. He loved what he did. Each building he completed was a work of art, in his mind.

"Jerry, I've had it with you."

"Huh," Jerry asked, as he looked up at his boss, Greg.

"You heard me. I've had it with you. It's been over two years and you haven't done as single thing that says relax or fun."

"This is relaxing."

"No, this is work. You need to get out of here, find something to do that's enjoyable. Find a woman to fuck. I mean, come on there's more to life than designing buildings."

"I guess I could plan a vacation or something." He answered his boss.

"No. You don't need to plan a vacation. You just need to go DO a vacation. Now, if you want your job to still be here after Christmas, you're going to shut down your computers, ALL of them. And take a trip."

"To where?"

Greg handed him an envelope. "Here. You go, no computers, no drawings, no nothing until after Christmas. You have a cabin reserved at a ski resort up in the Colorado mountains. You leave tomorrow morning, with a nice night in a hotel along the way, you should be there Sunday afternoon. You'll stay there until the following Sunday morning. If you leave early, they'll call me and I'll fire your sorry ass."

"You can't force me to go on vacation."

Gary leaned down to Jerry's desk. "Joan made these reservations for you. I never argue with my wife. If I have to, I'll disable your account until next week. You're going, no arguments, okay?"

Jerry sighed heavily and logged out of the computer. "Alright. I'm out of here until after Christmas."

"Good!" Gery said, slapping his shoulder. "I don't know much about this place; Joan set this up. She said it was time to get your life back on the road to someplace, other than a tar pit. Have fun and, no matter what, just, find a way to enjoy it."

"Alright." Jerry got up and pulled his coat on as he headed out.

+++++

Jerry sat on his sofa looking at the papers that were in the folder, including a note from Joan.

No planning allowed. Drive until you get tired and then find a hotel along the road. There are plenty and advance reservations aren't required. When you get there, I want you to embrace the spontaneity. I want you to spend the whole week doing whatever presents itself. No planning, no thinking things through. This trip is about being in the moment. I know there is a sweet, loving, spontaneous man inside. I want you to pull him out into the open. You'll never find a woman with your nose stuck in your computer screens. Maybe this way you can. Joan

He didn't think he was capable of not planning something. He respected Joan, she had warned him of what was coming, but he always procrastinated until it was too late. He flipped on his phone and opened his browser. It didn't take much to find the site. "Evergreen Mountain Resort."

Enjoy the secluded, romantic setting of the high mountain pines any season of the year. Share scenic mountain trails in the summer, and incredible panoramic views. Take your significant other and a picnic lunch to one of the many secluded overlooks, to rekindle or to refresh the romantic fire in your relationship. When the snow comes, enjoy the slopes; and after, share your time warming up before a cozy fire in the rustic cabins or warming up in one of the many small hot tubs, scattered around the resort. Come, enjoy and feel romance bloom again.

"Well, that's certainly an 'in your face' sales gimmick. Come to our resort and have your love life fixed. I doubt anyone can do that. Hell, I don't even have someone to be with. What the hell am I going to do, alone for a whole week? I don't even ski!" he said to himself, as he looked back at Joan's note. "I don't know what you're up to Joan, but I don't see how this is going to fix anything."

---2---

"Hello?" Sue Bond said, as she picked up her cell phone.

Hey Sue, it's Martha.

"Martha! How nice; what can I do for you?" Sue asked her agent.

How's my favorite author doing?

"If that's your way of asking how the book is coming, it's really not."

I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping that, maybe, you'd finally found something to move forward with.

"Unfortunately, not."

It's been pretty thin here since David left. We both know that last book was a real stinker. It just didn't sell. Your usual romantic flair, that your readers love was missing.

"I really wasn't feeling very romantic. About anything."

I take it you still aren't? Let me guess. You're sitting on the sofa looking out the window, hoping for inspiration?

"Something like that." She agreed, with a sigh. "No matter what I try, nothing seems to do it. I've tried reading my old books, I've tried watching romantic movies, I've even tried reading erotic stories. I'm just not in a romantic mood!"

We've been together a long time, so I'm doing something to help you. I think you need a change of scenery.

"I do, huh?"

You do. So, here's what I did. I booked you a flight to Colorado. You're going to spend a week in the most romantic little ski lodge, up in the mountains. I went there a few years ago with my husband and it really did kick start the old romantic genes. It still hasn't worn off. So for a woman that needs romance, it's the perfect place.

"Okay, it'll be a change of scenery. But how does that make me feel romantic? I'll be there alone and seeing other couples smooching isn't going to fix how it felt, to find David sleeping with the housekeeper."

I know, but you know me. You just have to trust me.

"Okay. Fine."

Look in your e-mail. It's all paid for and ready to go. All you have to do is pack for a week."

"In the cold and snow?"

And the hot tubs. There's a huge communal one at the lodge, but we liked the little ones they have scattered around near the cabins. No luxurious amenities. The cabins are very rustic, but the layout makes you get close to the one you love, and share everything. So, take your sexiest bikini. Never know what you might come across out there.

"Such as a man?"

You never know!

"Okay fine. I'll pack a bikini. Why do I have a feeling I'm being set up?"

Would I do that to you?

"In a hot second, if you thought it'd net you another high selling novel."

Okay, guilty as charged. But honestly, go have fun and let yourself forget about David.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. When is it?"

All next week. You fly into Denver on Sunday and back out the following Sunday.

She sighed and shook her head. "Alright. I'll go!"

Good! I'll talk to you when you get back.

It was only a little over a week until Christmas. She didn't have any plans. In reality she hadn't even gotten the Christmas tree out this year; the first time in her thirty eight years that there wasn't a Christmas tree in her house. She had to admit, it did seem a bit bare without one. She got up from the sofa, where she had spent most of the last month sitting, staring out the window, hoping something romantic would jump into her mind. She walked to her desk opened the computer and looked at the e-mail. She saw the reservations for someplace called Evergreen Mountain Resort. She frowned as she read the advertising blurb. They were clearly trying to market year-round to the romantic crowd, either those trying to find it again or those trying to keep it. She didn't feel romantic at the moment. She didn't even feel like she wanted to hear the word. But with over a hundred and ten romance novels to her name, well, with her three pseudo-names, she knew a few things about romance.

Her strongest ones were a strong man trying to seduce an equally strong woman. Her readers really got into those. This time though, all she could put together for characters were cheating husbands and devastated wives. No matter how she tried to build a plot around those, even those where the wife finds love again, she failed. They all felt too contrived and sappy. That kind of thing didn't happen in the real world. That was make believe and asking her readers to put themselves into that plot, just never felt like a winner. She didn't see how going to this resort was going to fix that.

She hadn't been skiing in a long time. She leaned back against the chair and looked at the ceiling. Maybe the trip wouldn't be a total waste. Flight was two days away. She got up and walked to the bedroom to start packing. Not that she had to, but she really didn't have anything else to do anyway. Half way through the packing she opened the drawer for her pajamas. She looked at the different things she had in the drawer. Lot of nice simple night shirts stacked on top of quite a few different pieces of lingerie.

On a whim she stripped off her clothes and slipped on a mostly see-through chemise. It was light blue and accentuated her blue eyes. She admired herself in the mirror, cupping her still firm, 36 D breasts through the slick material. Her nipples, surprisingly, were hardening, as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She wondered how many times she'd dressed like this and stood in front of the mirror trying to imagine the heroine of one of her stories dressed in something like this, the man's hands stroking up and down the silky material as he stood behind her. She closed her eyes and thought about different characters she had created, until she settled on Elan. He was strong and muscular. His hands held her to him, her back against his bare chest. He let his hands roam up and down the slick material as he pulled her back to him. She could feel the stubble of his short beard pressing into her neck as he kissed and nibbled her neck and earlobe.

She shuddered at the thought of his hot breath blowing in her ear as he teased it, his hands never stopping their trips up and down the front of her body. He cupped each breast, using his finger and thumb to tease her nipples, before sliding his palms down her body. At first, he stopped at her waist, but now, he continued down, moving his hands farther. She could feel his fingers tease through her blonde pubic hair before sliding back up. This time, however, his hands pulled the silky negligee up instead of sliding over it. His palms stroked her smooth stomach, sliding further up until his bare hands found her now, bare breasts.

She moaned in pleasure as his fingers found her nipples again, his touch making her want him to touch so much more. Her desire flared like a fire, as his fingers squeezed and twisted her nipples, the hotness of her desire growing by the instant. He softly kissed her neck, sending a tingle through her body, that added to the flame deep inside her. His hands moved down again, sliding all the way down this time, stopping not at her waist, or her tight ringlets of blond pubic hair, but stopping only when his strong fingers could curl in between her legs. She moaned softly, as one hand started up again, leaving the other to stroke her wet pussy lips. She felt his fingers stroke over her delicate inner lips, sliding over them until he could ever so gently work between them. His finger found the smallest amount of her growing wetness, and drew it out, spreading it over her soft lips, allowing his finger to dip even deeper with the next stroke.

His left hand made it back up again, under the sheer fabric to cup her breast once more. He squeezed it gently but firmly, using his thumb to stroke back and forth across her nipple, bending it to and fro, with each stroke. The warmth from her pussy spreading through her body, mingling with the delicate tingle each stroke of his thumb across her nipple made, sent little shivers up her spine. He gently kissed her neck again, making the shiver even more pronounced. She moaned loudly as the pressure of his palm against her mound increased and he pressed his fingers deeper between her lips. She felt the tip of his finger find the entrance to her depths, and slowly tease over it before slowly drawing up her pubic bone. She was unable to contain the long deep moan of pleasure, as his finger found her hard, sensitive, clit, and circled around it with just enough pressure to make the tingles race through her body.

She felt him shift and then a new sensation appeared between her legs. She could feel his hard cock pressing against her wet lips as he teased her clit. It had been a long time since a man had taken her, and her desire for him flooded her body with want. She reached down between her legs and found his hard cockhead. She pressed it against her lips, wanting him to penetrate her. He moved his hips, sliding it along her wet pussy lips. She desperately wanted him to push it into her, to fill her with his manhood. She wanted to feel his fat shaft press deep into her and to take her to ecstasy, but alas, his fingers teasing her clit was more than her body could resist. The tingle raced through her body like a rampaging fire. Her entire body stiffened, followed by tremors in her legs and arms. He held her tightly to him as her climax washed over her.

"OH GOD YES!" she cried out, as her body shook and trembled. She could feel her juices running down her legs, as her body made little jerking motions, intermixed with trembles. She stepped back from the mirror, shakily and sat on the edge of the bed as her climax raged through her body and then slowly passed, leaving her sitting, panting, wishing that her imagination had come true. "Fuck." She said to herself as she sat, panting, slowly stroking her pussy lips the way she liked it done after a good climax. She looked at herself in the mirror, sitting in the sheer chemise, breathless. "That was a surprise, wasn't it Sue? Unable to write a single word for months, but you can suddenly imagine one of the characters from your other books making love to you. Maybe I will find something to write about."

---3---

Jerry wasn't happy about any of this. Being forced to take vacation was one thing, having it planned for him was another. He respected Joan and her opinion. She had correctly predicted the outcome of his single mindedness at work, refusing to take her advice and spend more time with Julia. Now he was stuck with the results. Julia was unwilling to give him a second chance, convinced that he was unable to change. So, he was alone, and now he was supposed to somehow enjoy a Christmas, alone, on some secluded mountain top. His mind was distracted by the thoughts of this, as he wound around the twisting mountain road. It was his second day of driving. As instructed, he drove until he got hungry for dinner, found a restaurant and then a hotel. His GPS told him that he would easily make it into the lodge in time for dinner, even though darkness was already starting to close in and the light snow that had started an hour before, was becoming heavier. There was at least two inches on the road and only two or three sets of tracks. This road appeared to be very lightly traveled, at least at this hour, on a Sunday afternoon.

He came around the next curve and slammed on the brakes. The ABS of the small SUV he owned groaned loudly, the electronics and hydraulics pumping the brake madly to keep him from skidding out of control. His Subaru came to a stop with only inches to spare between his front end and the tail end of the car ahead, sticking at an odd angle into the air. There was already a light coating of snow on it, so it couldn't have been there long. The amber flashers were blinking rhythmically, making yellowish pulses in the falling snow. He caught his breath a moment and then turned on his own hazard flashers to warn any other cars. He climbed out to check the other car and found it unoccupied. The footprints through the deep snowbank told the story of one person, the driver, having made her way; yes her, only a woman would wear high heels, her way out of the snow bank to the road. She had clearly paced back and forth for some time before deciding to start walking up the road. There was no point going back. It was at least ten miles of twisting road to the small town at the bottom of the mountain.

He got into his Subaru, swung out around the car and started up the road, confident he would quickly overtake the walking woman. He wasn't disappointed. He had gone less than half a mile before his headlights illuminated a woman in a short winter coat, short high heel boots and a bright pink scarf, trying to walk up the slick road in that ridiculous footwear. She noticed his headlights and nearly fell on her tush, as she turned to wave him down, as if he would actually ignore her plight and just go on past her. He slowed down and came to a stop a few feet from her. She walked back toward him, as he rolled the passenger side window down.

"Thank God you stopped. I was beginning to think I was going to have to walk all the way to the lodge!"

"The whole ten miles? In this?" He asked, as she bent to look into his car window.

"It didn't seem like I had much choice."

"You're a city girl, aren't you?"

"Boston, why?"

He shook his head with a frown. "Only a city girl would think she could walk ten miles in a snowstorm, dressed like that."

"Well, a city girl might!" she said angrily. She stood up and started up the road again, slipping and sliding every few feet in the smooth soled high heel boots. Her legs were bare up to the bottom of the short coat, meaning the skirt had to be even shorter, unless of course she was naked, and as pleasant a thought that it was, it would be even more silly to expect. She was a good-looking woman from what he'd seen. Blonde hair, bright blue eyes. Even through the down coat, he could tell she had a reasonable sized chest. He dropped the Subaru back into gear and started following her. After a hundred yards or so he pulled up next to her and kept pace with her.

"You know, at this rate, you're going to be an icicle before you get to the lodge."

"Maybe."

"No maybe about it."

"How would you know?" She asked, the anger still in her voice.

"Maybe because I live in the country and we get these kind of snow storms all the time. I have no doubt that if you were properly dressed that you could make the lodge before morning, but I don't see any reason to let a good-looking woman freeze to death, if I can prevent it."