Mr. December

By Bailey Bradford

Santa isn't the only one coming to town...

Chris wasn't a part of the calendar shoot—his brother, Albert, was. When Chris attends the release party for the charity calendar, he isn't expecting anything but a night of boredom.

Which is what he gets.

It isn't until the following week when he has a client who turns out to be the sexy Dane Dillon—Mr. December—that Chris' world gets turned upside down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Dec 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781786516770

Bailey Bradford

A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn't happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey's brain demanding to be let out. Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey's office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey's presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.

Book preview

Author

Pride Publishing books by Bailey Bradford

Single Titles

Breaking the Devil

Dark Nights and Headlights

Texas and Tarantulas

Belt Buckles and Cowboy Boots

Something Shattered

Yes, Forever

Southwestern Shifters

Rescued

Relentless

Reckless

Rendered

Resilience

Reverence

Revolution

Revenge

Reluctance

Renounced

Retrograde

Southern Spirits

A Subtle Breeze

When the Dead Speak

All of the Voices

Wait Until Dawn

Aftermath

What Remains

Ascension

Whirlwind

Love in Xxchange

Rory’s Last Chance

Miles To Go

Bend

What Matters Most

Ex’s and O’s

A Bit of Me

A Bit of You

In My Arms Tonight

Where There’s a Will

My Heart to Keep

Leopard’s Spots

Levi

Oscar

Timothy

Isaiah

Gilbert

Esau

Sullivan

Wesley

Nischal

Justice

Sabin

Cliff

Mossy Glenn Ranch

Chaps and Hope

Ropes and Dreams

Saddles and Memories

Fences and Freedom

Riding and Regrets

Broncs and Bullies

Hay and Heartbreak

Vaqueros and Vigilance

Spotless

Hide

Hunt

Home

Heart

Coyote’s Call

Off Course

In from the Cold

Blue Moon Rising

Valen’s Pack

Run with the Moon

Exodus

The Vamp for Me

My Life Without Garlic

Don’t Stake My Life on It

Sunshine is Overrated

Don’t Drink the Holy Water

The Trouble with Mirrors

That’s One Cross Vamp

City Shifters

Bearly There

Harey Situation

Mystic Tattoos

One Too Many

Power

Exchange

Submit

Dominate

Calendar Men

Mr. January

Mr. February

Mr. March

Mr. April

Mr. May

Mr. June

Mr. July

Mr. August

Mr September

Mr. October

Mr. November

Yes, Forever

Yes, Forever: Part One

Yes, Forever: Part Two

Yes, Forever: Part Three

Yes, Forever: Part Four

Yes, Forever: Part Five

Mossy Glenn Ranch

Chaps and Hope

Ropes and Dreams

Saddles and Memories

Fences and Freedom

Riding and Regrets

Broncs and Bullies

Hay and Heartbreak

Vaqueros and Vigilance

Antholgies

What’s his Passion?: Unexpected Places

What’s his Passion?: Unexpected Moments

Racing Hearts: The Lonely Ones

Calendar Men

MR. DECEMBER

BAILEY BRADFORD

Mr. December

ISBN # 978-1-78651-677-0

©Copyright Bailey Bradford 2018

Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright December 2018

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2018 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Book twelve in the Calendar Men series

Santa isn’t the only one coming to town…

Chris wasn’t a part of the calendar shoot—his brother, Albert, was. When Chris attends the release party for the charity calendar, he isn’t expecting anything but a night of boredom.

Which is what he gets.

It isn’t until the following week when he has a client who turns out to be the sexy Dane Dillon—Mr. December—that Chris’ world gets turned upside down.

Dedication

Love yourself, love others. Giving love is never wrong. Give it freely, with no strings or expectations. Let yourself have that gift.

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

Green: Green Vegetarian Cuisine

Chapter One

Chris Washington watched the stage long enough to see his brother, Albert, and Albert’s fiancé, Gregg, get their round of applause for participating in the charity fundraiser. Though it was for a fabulous cause, with all the proceeds from the calendar sales going to fight childhood cancer, the whole making of the calendar had been one disaster after another. Chris was glad it was finished. His brother and Gregg were no longer in danger of whatever curse seemed to plague the calendar shoot.

Not that Chris believed in curses, exactly. He was a tad superstitious, just like most people, but it’d take some serious torture to get him to admit that out loud. He had his pride, after all.

The final calendar man loped up the steps to the stage. He was wearing a red, silky-looking shirt with a white collar and a Santa hat. Mmmm, Mr. December, AKA Dane Dillon. He’s probably the only man capable of making Santa sexy. Chris had ogled Dane’s photo in the calendar enough to be familiar with the deep-set dimples in his cheeks when he smiled, the perfect white rows of his teeth and the way his baby-blue eyes sparkled as if he knew some secret joke and was on the verge of sharing it.

Well, Chris had thought that last part was a trick, done by some digital photo editing software, but it was nice—and a tad arousing—to see that the sparkle was all Dane’s.

He’s hot as fuck, someone behind Chris said. I’ve got some bells he could jingle.

Totally. I want him to unwrap my package, another person chimed in.

Chris wrinkled his nose and just managed not to glare over his shoulder at the doofuses with the lame lines as they continued with the bad banter. He wasn’t a smooth dude himself when it came to flirting, but he had more sense than to babble ridiculous stuff like those two were doing.

Then again, it had been a while since he’d had sex with anyone other than himself. He and his hands were best buddies, and sometimes their good friend Mr. Vibes joined them for some fun.

Okay, I’m lame myself. Chris applauded with everyone else when all the calendar men took a bow. He was so proud of his brother. Albert’s confidence had grown during the time he’d been with Gregg. That was because Gregg was good for him, and Albert was the center of Gregg’s world—and vice versa. It made Chris’ cynical little heart beat with happiness every time he thought of his brother finding true love.

Albert looked at him and waved. Chris waved back, his desire to go home smothered out by Albert’s happiness. It wouldn’t hurt to hang around a little longer. Chris had almost bolted after walking into an empty room off the event hall’s north side…only to discover the room wasn’t so empty after all. There’d been three people in the midst of some kind of sexual shenanigans. Chris had gotten a glimpse of two dark-headed men and one blond before he’d fled in a state of mortification and curiosity. That would teach him to try to escape from a crowded room in a fit of unsociability.

He shouldn’t be in a hurry to leave anyway. There was nothing waiting at home for Chris but a ball of yarn, some catnip toys and the new scratching post he’d bought himself earlier that day. Still, those things could wait for an hour or two. He’d shift and let his cat out to play later.

Albert and Gregg said something to Mr. December that made him laugh. Chris’ stomach went fizzy inside, like he’d chugged a bottle of ginger ale. He frowned and wondered if he was catching some kind of bug. It wasn’t often that he got sick. Whether that was due to him being a cat shifter or just having a fabulous immune system, Chris couldn’t have said. Still, there was always the possibility that he’d caught some kind of cooties that could infiltrate his system.

Chris imagined his immune system as a magnificent army, and he used that visual any time he thought he might be getting ill. He believed in the power of his brain over such things. His mighty army slaughtered the invading masses, and he was healthier than most people he knew.

He’d have let that imagery play out then if he hadn’t been at the calendar release party. As it was, he silently encouraged his army to get to work then focused on Albert and Gregg, who were headed his way.

With Dane Dillon behind them.

Oh, oh my God! He’s coming this way! said one of the guys with the lame lines. Maybe he saw me!

Chris pursed his lips. What do I know? Maybe Dane is coming to meet him. If that was the case, then Chris hoped Dane and Mr. Lame-Lines had a good time together.

It wasn’t like Chris would be jealous.

Dane smiled, and Chris would have sworn Dane was looking at him.

He smiled at me! Oh my God! screeched the man who was, in Chris’ opinion, way too hyper.

Chris stood and started to take a step toward Albert when he was elbowed and pushed aside. Two guys rushed past him as Chris stumbled. He smacked against an older man, causing him to spill his drink all over Chris’ chest.

I’m so sorry, Chris said, the scent of whiskey making his nose burn. Can I get you another drink? He was mortified to have made a scene, though if he had any luck at all, not many people had seen it.

The man whose drink had sloshed on Chris frowned. Are you drunk?

He was pushed, Albert snapped, his voice loud and higher-pitched than usual, which meant he was pissed off. By two guys.

I see. Well, then, yes, I’d like another drink.

Chris took the man’s glass.

Albert snatched it away from him. I’ll get it. What were you drinking?

"Are you all