“Oh, it’s beginning to look a lot like–”

Jay reached over and shut off his radio clock.  He did not remember if he turned it on, but at the moment he had a hard time putting together any thoughts.

Jay lay in bed for what seemed like an eternity.  He finally figured he caught his breath and came down from the orgasm he experienced with the strange woman.  And his head cleared and his lust subsided, he started to chuckle.

“Yeah, ghost of Christmas past or whatever,” he said, wiping his face with his hand.  “Goddamn, Jay, you’ll believe anything for a good lay.”

He sat up in bed and looked at the mess they created on the bed.  He got to his feet and walked to his living room.

A soft layer of snow fell on the city.  It looked like something out of a Christmas special.  For one moment, his heart melted.  He took it all in and remembered himself as a child.  Pressing his nose against the frosty window to watch the snow fall.

“Geez, she did blow my fuses,” Jay said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “I’m becoming sentimental.”

He looked around his dark and empty apartment.  Where most times he saw luxury and elegance, tonight he saw cold steel and reflective glass.

And he did not like the reflection.

Nervous energy pumped through his body.  He paced his place, not finding solace in drink or in luxury.

Finally, he put on some casual clothing.  He grabbed his coat and scarf and slipped on some high-end boots.  He grabbed his keys and wallet and walked out of his apartment without a second look.

He paced in the elevator.  He marched out into the foyer, passing by Danny and the rest.  They cheered when they saw Jay.

“Sir!  Thank you so much for everything!” Danny yelled.  “Three cheers for the man with the money and the heart!”

Everyone gave him three cheers.  He smiled politely, nodded, and left the building.

The cool wind of the winter night blasted his face.  He shivered in place and shook his head.  His thoughts cleared, and the memory of what it cost him to fuck that woman entered his head.

He chuckled.

“I’ll find a way to make it a tax write-off,” he said to himself.  He walked away from his apartment.

He found the streets oddly busier than he imagined.  People bustling home, to or from a party.  He felt a swelling of happiness and joy in the air.

He tried to ignore it.  Something gnawed at him, something in his mind he could not put to rest.  He continued to walk down the streets searching for the answer.

Finding himself nearly alone on a street, his eyes drifted up to the sky.  He saw the puffy flakes of snow drifting and swirling down to the ground.  He looked higher and saw hundreds, thousands of those snowflakes falling.  He found himself smiling as he watched the snow fall.

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

The soft, alluring voice drew his vision back down and to his left.  He saw a petite woman with blonde hair in pigtails.  She had on red and green eyeshadow, with her lips done up in a dazzling pink lipstick.  Blue eyes looked him over.  She stuffed her hands in the pockets of a large, thick, coat that showed nothing of her figure off.

“It is,” Jay said, looking the woman up and down.  “It certainly is.”

She rolled her eyes and giggled.  “Mr. Roberts, you are everything they said you were.”

Jay tilted his head.  “How do you know my name?”

The woman smiled at him knowingly.  He waited for an answer.  As she continued to smile, the answer slowly dawned on him.

“You’re the next spirit.”

She touched his nose with a well-manicured finger.  “You got it, Mr. Roberts.”

“Jay, please.”

“Aww, come on now.  Let me have a little fun.”

Jay sighed.  “Fine.  How did you find me?  Are you all stalking me?”

“Nope!  We show up when we are supposed to.”

She put her arm around his.  “Shall we?”

“Shall we what?”

“Go for a walk.  That’s why you’re out here, isn’t it?  Maybe a little too energetic from what my companion did to you,” the woman reached down and patted Jay between the legs.  She giggled.  “Oooh.  Nice.  Or, maybe you couldn’t find peace and solace in that big ivory tower of yours tonight.”

Jay rolled his eyes.  He started to walk back down the sidewalk with her still latched around his arm.  “Please.  I had an incredible orgasm, she disappeared, and I had no one to take it out on.  I just need to wear off some energy.”

He looked at his companion and raised his eyebrows.  “Unless you want to help in regards to that issue.”

She giggled.  “You bet I do!  But, not until you’ve earned it.”

Jay sighed.  “There we go again with that.  Last one made me feel like a bit of a fool giving away my money.”

“What good is money if you hoard it?”

“Says the spirit who has no need for money.”

“And you don’t need that much money, either.  Tell me the truth, you were thinking of a way to write that off as taxes, weren’t you?”

Jay stayed silent.  The woman giggled.

“Are you at least going to tell me your name?”

“What name would you like?”

She stopped and pulled Jay to a stop as well.  He turned and looked at her.

“Come on.  Name me.  What name would you like me to have?”

He looked her up and down.  “I saw a dancer once that looked sort of like you.  Her name was Nikki.”

The woman giggled.  “That definitely wasn’t her name.”

“I know that.  You asked, I told you.”

“All right.  Call me Nikki then,” Nikki said, swinging him around to continue their walk.

“You are an odd one,” Jay said.

“Thank you!  And you’re a big ole teddy bear that’s been hiding out as a grumpy, mean old man for too long,” Nikki said.

“Hey!”

“That’s all right, we’re here to help you not be that cranky man.”

“I’m not old.”

Nikki laughed.  “Why did you come out here tonight?  Right now?”

“I told you, I–”

She gripped him tighter.  “No lying to a spirit on Christmas.”

Jay sighed.  “I–that woman was a good fuck, okay?  And I just felt something inside of me when I looked at the snow outside.  So, I went for a walk.”

“Do you like staring at the snow?  Watching it fall down, drift, and cover everything around it?” Nikki asked.

“I don’t really watch snow that much, to be honest.”

“Why not?  It’s fun.  A great way to let time just drift away.  To get lost in the magic of it all.”

“It’s just frozen rain, Nikki.”

She swatted his arm.  “You are a humbug.”

Jay rolled his eyes.  “It’s not that.  It’s just that everyone has to grow up sometime and see the world for what it is.”

“You mean, lose the magic.”

“Oh, here we go,” Jay said as they walked around a corner.  In front of them stood a giant lit Christmas tree.  A closed-off ice rink in front of it, and empty benches surrounding that.  Nikki dragged Jay over to one of the benches.

“Look at that.  How can you not marvel at the wonder and beauty of a well-lit Christmas tree on a snowy evening?” Nikki asked.

Jay plopped down on the bench.  He sighed and rubbed his thighs with his hands.  “Yes, it’s a nice tree.  Congrats to the decorators.”

“I mean, look at it, Mr. Roberts.  Really look at it.”

“I–”

She flicked his ear.  “Look.  At it.”

He turned his head.  “Hey–”

She flicked his ear again.  “I said look.  Shh.”

Jay sighed and folded his arms.  He stared at the Christmas tree.  Over a minute, he memorized the pattern of the lights.  He sighed, not understanding what to do next.

Another five minutes passed.  He stared at the Christmas tree.  He saw the snow falling on it.  How that made the lights twinkle.  The soft glow of the lights created an unearthly sight that pulsated and changed in front of him.  Slowly, the laughter and conversation of all those walking behind them drifted in.  He heard bells ringing.  Christmas music from somewhere.  He felt something in his stomach stir that he could not place at first.  Then, as he processed all the sensory information around him, he put a few names to that feeling in his stomach.

Peace.  And Love.

Nikkie rubbed his arm with a warm smile on her face.  “You feel it, don’t you.”

Jay chuckled.  “I’m not sure what I feel.”

“It’s because you’ve been tied up in sales and numbers for so long you’ve lost track of how your body feels.  How your spirit feels during this time.”

“You’ve cast a spell on me, like the last one.”

Nikki chuckled.  “Oh, if we were only that powerful.  I think the last spirit would have turned you into something rather nasty.  No.  I only forced you to take a moment.  To pause and really let this magical time of the year soak in.”

Nikkie snuggled up against his arm. He felt her breath on his neck.  They stared out into the empty skating rink and the large, brilliant trees.

“It’s a shame there’s no one here,” Jay said.

“You can come back, you know,” Nikki said as she kissed his earlobe.  “Come back in a few days and watch them all skate.  Hear their laughter.  Feel the warmth and love.”

“I may just do that,” Jay said, spreading his legs and settling into the park bench.  “For now, I’ll take in–”

Nikki moved like a flash of light, slipping onto his lap and smiling.

“--the view.”

Nikki unbuttoned the jacket with a devilish grin.  Jay’s eyes widened as he saw nothing but bare flesh under the big jacket.

“Uh, what are you doing?”

“You did well, my little one,” Nikki said with a giggle, wiggling out of her coat in a seductive manner.  Her shoulders popped out of the top of the jacket, but Jay’s eyes focused on the massive breasts barely covered by the jacket.  “Time for your reward.”

Jay felt Nikki’s body press against his growing erection and grind.  Jay, unable to help himself, grew hard in mere moments as Nikki’s seductive jacket dance and grind captivated him.

“People…people will hear.  Or see.”

“I chose this spot well,” Nikki said with a laugh.  “Besides, if they see, so what?  Let them enjoy the show.”

Nikki reached under and stroked his cock through his pants.  “Do you really want to say no to this?”

Jay shook his head.

Nikki smiled.  “Good boy.”  She unzipped his pants and reached into the new opening.  He felt her fingers touch and caress his cock before she fished it out into the open air.  “Ooo, that’s impressive.”

“It’s cold…”

“Don’t worry honey, it won’t feel cold in a moment,” Nikki said, her voice a hoarse whisper.

She leaned in, her scent reminding Jay of Christmas baking and holiday spices.  She kissed him deeply and he melted in his seat.  He never felt an onslaught of passion and love in his life.  Something that warmed him from toe to head.  He did not notice her adjust herself until he felt the warmth and wetness engulf his cock.

He moaned into her chest as she started to fuck him on the bench.  Like a crazed man high on joy, he grabbed her and made passionate love to her chest with his mouth.  Nikki moaned and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Oh, oh, that really is impressive,” she moaned as she bounced harder on his cock.  She grinded quickly and deeply, making Jay moan in return.

“You like this?” She asked, dragging his head up to look her in the eyes.

“You feel amazing,” Jay said.  

“Good boy,” Nikki said with a giggle.  She stuffed his face in her chest.  “Oh, it’s been so long since someone gave these beauties the attention they deserve.”

“Allow me, then,” Jay said.  He grabbed Nikki by the hips to brace himself and delved deep into her breasts, licking, kissing, teasing, and twisting with what he had available.

He loved listening to Nikki’s breathing grow more ragged.  The little moans that turned louder.  Lost in a thick haze of lust, need, and beautiful smells, he did not care if everyone he heard around him stopped and watched.  Jay closed his eyes and enjoyed the smells.  The sensation of this woman rocking his world.  The touch of her soft skin against his lips.  The joy surrounding the two of them as distant shoppers laughed and carried on.  He felt the heat of the Christmas tree lights on his skin, something he thought impossible.

As he kissed and ran his teeth across Nikki’s nipples, he thought that heat may not be the lights.

But, the season itself.

As he came, the love of the season filled him.  As he experienced an orgasm that forced him to cry out in pleasure into her chest, love, peace, and positivity flowed into his body.  In those all-too-brief moments of pure ecstasy, he felt connected to the entire world.

And, he realized all the love and laughter he missed with his lifestyle.  That joy gave way to deep sorrow.  He felt Nikki’s body buck and jerk as she came on his cock.  He pressed her body close to his, shame and tears flowing down his face.

He cried for all he missed.  He cried for all the misery he caused.

“Shhh, shhh, dear boy,” Nikki said, kissing his head and ruffling his hair.  “It’s not too late.  Don’t cry for the past.  Feel joy for the present.  For what you can do now.”

“Th-thank you,” Jay said, wiping the tears from his face.  He opened his eyes to stare at Nikki.

Only, Nikki disappeared.

“Aw, no,” Jay said, his heart falling in his chest.  “Come back.  Please.”

“Hey, thanks for the good time,” a distant voice whispered in his ear, “But I’m just a spirit.  There are real flesh-and-blood people out there that need you.  And you need them.”

Jay sniffled and nodded.  “Thank you.”

He leaned back in his seat.  He felt warm all over.  He looked down at his pants to see them done up as if nothing happened.

He placed a hand on his cheek, felt the tingling in his balls, and chuckled.

“Oh, it happened.”

He took another few moments, with his eyes closed, to take in the sounds around him.  He opened his eyes, a new man, seeing the lights on the Christmas tree shine with brilliance.  Jay took a deep breath of fresh winter air as the snow started to drift downward.  

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered to himself.  He sprang to his feet with new life.

“Now, let’s find those people the spirit was talking about.  The ones that need me.”

TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT YEAR!