Miracle on Slutty 4th Street Ch. 07

(This story is posted on the Literotica website. Do not repost anywhere else without the author's consent. For fans of my stories, they know what kinds of things to expect. This story deals with similar themes as the stories by wannabeboytoy, seducedHylas, and Dark Betrayal, namely cheating, betrayal, and heartbreak. If stuff like that isn't your cup of tea, then you probably shouldn't bother reading it. I do not condone any of these actions in real life. This is just a story. Enjoy.)

(Additional note for this series: EACH CHAPTER IN THIS SERIES CAN BE READ ON ITS OWN. Each chapter is self-contained, but if you do read the whole thing, some of the specific details will become clearer and more fleshed-out. Enjoy)

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(Chapter 7)

Frank Carroll was glad for a moment of peace and quiet. The 34-year-old wasn't one for busy situations, so family get-togethers like this weren't his cup of tea. He much preferred calm, quiet days at home, or at work, or spending time with his wife and daughter.

He'd been with Denise since high school. Yeah, they were high-school sweethearts. He was the quarterback, she was the cheerleader, that old story. They'd paired off quickly, and had been inseparable since, through the ups and down, the good times and the bad. They were good for each other.

Frank felt lucky to have such a great wife. He knew that he wasn't the most gregarious guy in the world. He knew he could be a bit serious and lost in his own headspace. But Denise just saw something in him that he didn't always see in himself. She was so kind and supportive, and when he had to admit to himself that he didn't have a future in athletics and had to find a new path, she was right there, ready to pick him up when he got too down. For that, he loved her more than anything.

It didn't hurt that she was such a looker. He still remembered how good she looked on the sidelines, and looks-wise, she hadn't really lost a step since. Slim, athletic, blonde, with a big bright smile, sharp blue eyes, and deep golden tan, she was a stunner. She still had that gymnast's body that she had back then, long legs, a pert, round butt, and petite breasts. Even after having a baby, she'd done a good job of getting back into fighting shape quickly.

Even though he'd given up on-field pursuits, he'd always been good at staying in shape. It helped him in his work, and at home, so he didn't see any reason not to do it. He'd always been disciplined in that way, and it had really paid off. Tall and well-built, his wife's eyes always lit up when she saw him. And for good reason. He was a handsome man, with blondish brown hair, light skin, and cool blue eyes. He wasn't a chronic smiler, so when his face did light up, it was infectious.

His calm, disciplined demeanor helped him in his working life. He'd been a police officer for about 8 years now. He knew cops had often got a bad rap, sometimes with good reason, but he liked to think he was one of the good ones. He kept his cool, did his job, and did his best to keep things professional and not let situations escalate get out of hand. Frank always had an innate sense of justice, so he took to his job well, doing it fairly and justly. When he saw a citizen breaking the law, he would do his job, but he would do his best to do it calmly and with empathy. But when he saw one of his coworkers taking advantage of their badge, he would say something. He took his work seriously, and he did it well, rising the ranks and gaining a healthy respect from his fellow officers.

He loved his work, but that being said, he did relish having a bit of a break here at the holidays. Getting away from it all, focusing on his family, it was much needed. Even if being here back home, surrounded by his extended family, was the price he had to pay for that break, he would take it. And now, during his time off, he was savoring getting away from it all. He even took the chance to be a little rebellious, letting his face remain covered with a few days of beard growth. For work, he liked staying clean shaven. But the beard gave him a bit of ruggedness, which really worked for him.

"Daddy..." Christiana said, coming up to him as he sat on the couch, something in her hands. "What's this?"

Christiana was the light of his life. Three-years-old, she'd been a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. Frank never knew how fulfilling having kids would be till he had his own, and he'd taken to fatherhood well.

Being a father was brand new territory for him, one he was completely unprepared for, and for this he looked to his older brother, Dan, as an inspiration. While Frank wasn't the most emotional guy in the world, he did greatly admire his older brother. He was a strong, steady, unflappable man. A good husband to his wife as he maintained a great marriage to a really special lady in Connie. And he was a great dad as well, always there for his kids, being a positive force in their lives, devoting himself to raising them right. Frank vowed to do as good of a job as Dan had.

Fatherhood gave him the focus to work hard, to provide for his daughter and give her a good future. Denise had decided upon getting pregnant that she would step away from her career to take care of their daughter. She had a good job, working at a pretty nice office, but her child superseded that. The goal was to get through these early years, and when Christiana entered school, Denise hoped to get back to work then.

"What is that?" Denise asked, seated next to him. Seeing what his daughter was holding, Frank smiled.

"That..." he began, laughing lightly. "That is the tree topper. For the Christmas tree. That's been in our family since... God... forever." It looked its age. It was this little straw person, clad in a cloth blue dress. It was, admittedly, pretty creepy. "There's this whole story with that. Right Mom?" he said, glancing up at his mother passing through, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't joke," Doris said.

"Yeah, it's supposed to protect us from, what... ice witches? Ice banshees?" he asked.

"Ice Sirens," Doris finished. "It's a story my grandma used to tell me. Women out in the snowy wilds, luring wayward travelers to their doom. You put this on the tree, and it keeps them away. It protects the house."

"Are they real, Daddy?" Christiana asked, worried.

"No..." he said assuringly, shaking his head. "Some weird, old German fable or something."

"Hey, we've been putting it on the tree for years. Never had a problem," Doris said.

"I've never seen a tiger out there either. Doesn't mean that protects us against those too," Frank said. His mother rolled his eyes and lightly slapped his arm.

"Oh, stop with that," she said. Frank had a habit of dismissing fairy tales and flights of fancy like this.

"Are there tigers out there?" Christiana asked, concerned.

"No. I was just joking," Frank said. "No tigers, and no Ice Sirens either." He explained this confidently, assuaging his daughter's fears. She smiled lightly at him. "Hey..." he began, leaning towards her. "You should give this to your Uncle Tim. Have him put it on the tree."

"Don't pick a fight," Doris warned. Frank smiled.

"Tim hated that thing when he was a kid," he explained to Denise. "Used to freak him out." He glanced up at his mother. "Fine. I'll fix it." Frank grabbed the tree topper from his daughter's hands and stood up, approaching the tree. His niece, Gwen, stepped out of the way as he moved towards the tree. And as he got closer, his younger brother, Tim, entered the room.

"Hey Tim, help me out," he said, grabbing his attention, holding out the tree topper to him. Tim glanced towards him absent-mindedly, only seeing what was in Frank's hand when he was right up near him.

"What do you... JEEZ!" he yelled out, jumping back. From the far side of the room, Dan laughed loudly. "Dude! That thing still freaks me out!" Tim said, stepping far away. Frank smiled at his brother, laughing to himself as he moved towards the tree, leaning up to put the tree topper in place. It wasn't a sturdy fit, but it stayed there.

Frank didn't subscribe to a lot of stuff that wasn't tangible. Stuff like this, other superstitions and old wives' tales. He didn't waste any time thinking about such things. His mother still subscribed to a lot of this stuff, but he never bought it.

And this included Christmas.

Frank was that kid that figured out Santa wasn't real at a young age. He even told a few of his friends when they were all young, in a bit of a smug move, crushing their spirits. Seeing their reaction made him realize the hurt he had inflicted, and his mother had to sit him down and explain that it was okay to let people believe in things, in something beyond themselves, and he took that lesson to heart. He still didn't believe in any of that stuff, but he was willing to bite his tongue and let others have their fun. Sometimes, those feelings would slip out, but he did his best to keep them to himself.

He wasn't big on the whole Santa thing either, not liking the idea of lying to his child. But Denise told him to loosen up, reminding him of his mother's lesson. Seeing Christiana's face light up at Christmas, and when she sat on Santa's lap at the mall, it silenced any doubts. He still thought the whole thing was kinda stupid, but he wasn't about to take the smile off his little girl's face.

He wasn't about to tell her that Santa wasn't real.

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So, here's the thing. Santa was totally real. Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, the reindeer, the elves, all real. Maybe not in the form most people imagined, but they were all real. Santa wasn't a jolly old fat man, but a young, handsome man. His wife was his same age, young and pretty and loving. And the elves weren't like the ones you see on Christmas specials. Okay, admittedly, the reindeer were about what you imagined, but the whole thing was very different than what most think. All these different groups worked together to make Christmas special for everyone around the world. And the night of Christmas Eve, it was their time to shine.

For hundreds of years, their operation hadn't changed. For lack of a better term, it was very old school. Mrs. Claus handled the naughty or nice list. The elves built the toys. Santa, or Nick, as he preferred to be called, delivered them, and the reindeer provided the transportation. The North Pole was both their home and the home base for their operation, and it was like something out of a storybook. Christmas lights. Almost constant snow. Old fashioned homes, with old-timey lanterns lighting the cobblestone streets. Everyone was happy, full of Christmas spirit, satisfied with both their work and their lives devoted to this wonderful holiday. As the world changed and evolved, the system, their life and their home, none of it ever changed, even though it seemed a bit outdated at times. It was a good thing they had going. It worked.

But inevitably, it had to evolve, as all things do.

And the change was quick and brutal.

One Christmas morning, not too many years ago, Saint Nick came back to the North Pole, but he didn't come alone. On his arm was a woman, a gorgeous woman with melon-sized knockers and a smirk across her plump lips. She was clad in clearly hastily put on clothes and Nick's heavy overcoat. Most of the crew was there to meet him as he landed, as they always did. But they were stunned into a confused silence as he escorted this unknown woman to a small, unused cottage nearby, locking the door behind them. This was supposed to be a moment of celebration, the culmination of a year of hard work. Instead, it was one of confusion and awkward silences, the elves looking to each other in confusion, not sure what was happening. The Christmas year always ended with Nick giving the final gift to his wife once he returned home. Instead, when she emerged, ready to greet her husband, she was greeted by awkward glances from the Christmas Elves and muffled moans from inside that cottage. Everyone knew what was happening, but no one wanted to say it. Even Mrs. Claus didn't want to admit it, but the crestfallen expression on her face at these muffled moans let everyone know that she understood as well. And when Nick eventually emerged, clothes slightly askew, crooked smile on his face, that woman standing in the doorway, watching as he handed over a small bag containing his Christmas gift to his wife. Confused, she opened it, but her heart dropped when she saw its contents.

A lump of coal.

The woman burst out laughing, and Mrs. Claus ran off sobbing, crushed. And the North Pole was upended into chaos for the first time ever.

A town normally full of joy and spirit was reduced to hushed whispers and rumormongering. In the days afterward, Mrs. Claus tried to convince herself that her assumptions were wrong, that this was all some big practical joke, trying to find any way to justify why the man she loved would do such a thing.

From Nick's house, fighting was heard from within its walls as Mrs. Claus tried to get her husband to see reason, to remember their love and their years and years of happiness. But Nick was past reason at this point, blinded by other, more important things. No one knew for sure what went down in those screaming matches, but they all knew the outcome. Within days, Mrs. Claus was led away from their North Pole home, clad in a dark coat, dragging a trunk of her belongings. She cried, she stepped up into the sleigh and was shipped away to God knows where, never to be seen again. Agatha Claus, friend to all, sweet wife and wonderful boss, a pretty, stout, loving woman who'd been a loyal wife for hundreds of years at this point, just thrown out like a piece of trash. Within days, Nick and this new woman, Beatrice, were wed in a secret ceremony. And just like that, there was a new boss in town.

The residents of the North Pole were nervous about this new leadership. Any change would make them anxious, but such a huge change had them almost scared. They all LOVED Mrs. Claus, the old Mrs. Claus, and this new one seemed like a far cry from that one. The thing that worried them most was the fact that Mrs. Claus had a huge role to play in running the show up there. Agatha was always there, willing to provide help and guidance even during the slow parts of the year, doing her job kindly and lovingly. Yet, this new one seemed way more interested in causing Nick and herself to shirk their duties entirely by spending private time together. The elves were left on their own for a long time, and after a while, they were seeking some guidance and leadership on how to proceed.

And, well, they got it.

For a good period of time, Nick and Beatrice were out of sight, doing their own thing behind closed doors, disappearing from those around them, more concerned with their own needs. But eventually they emerged, slowly reintegrating into the populace. For Nick, it was him resuming his role and having to do his job again. And with the addition of Beatrice, it was his duty to finally show their operation to her, an operation that she would have to play a huge part in. Nick started introducing Beatrice to everything they did up there, all the work that went into making Christmas happen. And while Beatrice seemed nowhere near as book-smart as Agatha, it didn't take her long to get acclimated and get an idea of the bigger picture here.

Beatrice was no expert businesswoman, but even someone with the lightest bit of corporate experience like her could see that their process was woefully out of date and could be greatly optimized. With the resources they had, tangible, financial, and magical, they could do a lot better.

Nick had always had provided a guiding force through the daily work of their Christmas enterprise, but now that Beatrice had entered the picture, he had become so thoroughly dominated by his new lover that he let her do pretty much whatever she wanted. Saint Nick was not in charge of Christmas anymore. Beatrice, who mere months prior had been a single, trashy slut living on her own, who had been on the 'Naughty List' since she was a teenager, was now the CEO boss bitch of everyone's favorite holiday, Christmas. And she had a few changes in mind.

The big discovery she made was the existence of a legitimate business arm of their operation, North Pole LLC. It didn't even have its own brick and mortar location. It was just a way for them to conduct business and acquire certain goods from legitimate businesses without exposing their own existence. It was a small part of their entire operation, as they preferred to build everything in-house. This, Beatrice realized, would become the centerpiece of their new direction. Since they'd been around so long, they had a vast nest egg of cash that was going unused. So, Beatrice poured that cash into the business arm, taking North Pole LLC from a minor thing to the main arm of their operation. Instead of the old ways, of having all of their products built by one single factory in the North Pole, they outsourced it, building factories all over the world that could both build their standard products plus all sorts of new products. Products that were very generalized, as well as things that were very specialized. They used these new factories to both build their goods and distribute them easier, using them for staging presents for the big night. Plus, they were able to put people to work building the gifts that would go to other people, instead of having to rely on the Christmas Elves to build everything. And, being publicly known allowed them to have more access to well-known brands and goods, saving time and money, plus allowing them to get all these brands under their purview.

Also, being an open, well-known company, they were able to recruit the best and brightest minds to create new and better products, and not having to rely simply on the Christmas Elves to come up with new things. These great minds, combined with their access to Christmas Magic, allowed them to truly revolutionize, making products that most people couldn't even imagine existing yet. Very quickly, the company was growing.

The biggest change was a philosophical one. Gone were the days of them being beholden to family themes and so focused on gifts for children. Instead, they would have a renewed focus on presents for adults. Hand-in-hand with that, Beatrice was coming from a world where sex sells, so Christmas would have to adapt to these needs. Hot nasty sex was the thing most adults wanted, so they should embrace that, centering a major line of their products on sex-related goods, things that turned people on and brought people together. Nothing would make people embrace Christmas like the memory of coming together with your true love. And in the same way Santa was the center of branding for all the old Christmas advertising, Beatrice was happy to step up and take the mantle as the head model of this adult brand.

Alongside this, and maybe most importantly, Beatrice had gained control of the list, the 'Naughty or Nice' list. The magical list that kept a running tally of people's good and bad deeds, and ranked them accordingly, from nicest to naughtiest. Using the magic gifted to her by being Santa's chosen mate, she could watch people in their journey through life, through their various good and bad deeds. The story was that the old Mrs. Claus always had her heart warmed by watching the best and brightest and their many good deeds. But frankly, Beatrice found all these people dreadfully boring, getting far more interested in the misdeeds of the naughty. The more this went on, the more unfair she found it that all these delightfully naughty people were getting penalized, and these boring old nice people were the ones getting all the rewards.

But those were the old ways, and she set the rules now.