Romancing Mrs. Claus

Chapter Two

The Feast of Vulcanalia went off without a hitch. The ceremony was beautiful and the citizens and guests of Pompeii ate, danced, and sang in celebration. Wine flowed in abundance at her father's hotel and Damaris watched from a corner as their guests made merry. She was glad her father took her advice and hired competent, professional entertainers this year after last year's fiasco. The dancers were no more than glorified whores nearly causing them to lose their license to operate when word spread about the antics that went on that night. 

This year, there were fewer outraged guests to deal with but the events of the past week still exhausted her. Seeing that everything was in hand, Damaris retreated to her sanctuary on the roof. She sat by the edge and gazed at the luxury boats sailing in the distance. The sea glistened in the light of the setting sun. Gulls cried out as they circled above while stars winked into being in the darkening sky. She closed her eyes and delighted in the warm breeze that carried the aroma of the sea.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" a booming voice said behind her.

Damaris started and turned to find Nikolai lounging in the shadows beneath a tree behind her. Although Quicksilver was still in the stables, she hadn't seen their newest guest since he arrived. She was glad of this for she couldn't understand the feelings the strange man brought about. Young Roman men, men of Campania especially, were small in stature. Some were muscular and garnered respect and admiration for their feats of strength and good looks. Others were still well built but gained respect and admiration for their intelligence. They pondered the workings of the universe, dabbled in politics and theater, some even turned their minds to commerce and became shrewd businessmen. 

Nikolai was different. He was large like a mountain yet he didn't appear to be muscular. She couldn't tell from the fit of his clothing. What was most unusual to Damaris was his lack of aggression. She couldn't stand was how cruel the more rugged and masculine men of the region were to anyone who was smaller. The worst was how it entertained those who witnessed it. While she hadn't seen him all day, Damaris also didn't hear any gossip about him from anyone who came and went from the hotel. One thing Pompeiians were known for throughout the region was the wagging of tongues yet somehow the large pale man with brilliant eyes managed to keep a low profile. If she didn't know better she'd swear they just didn't see him. 

He sat beneath the tree now, the feel of his eyes on her made Damaris blush deeply and she was glad for the shadows of the growing night.

"You frightened me! I didn't expect to find anyone up here."

"My apologies," Nikolai chuckled, "I'm not used to being around so many people. I needed to find some peace and quiet and this garden looked so inviting."

Damaris looked around, taking in the lush greenery of the many exotic plants, trees, and flowers she cultivated over the years. She even figured out how to set up an aquatic system for fish and birds after speaking with a guest visiting from Egypt a few years prior.

"Yes, it's my sanctuary." She replied quietly.

"Oh, I am sorry, I should go." He leapt to his feet.

"No, that's alright. You can stay." She smiled and sat beside the pond, patting the ground beside her. "Did you enjoy the festival?"

"I did. Your customs are strange to me but inviting." Nikolai smiled.

"You are not from the empire. From where do you hail?"

"From a land in the far North. It is much colder and the ground is covered with ice and snow."

Damaris frowned. "What is ice and snow?"

 Nikolai took her hand in his, sending a pleasant tingle up her arm, and placed it in the water of the pond. 

"Feel how cool the water is? Where I come from the water gets so cold it hardens and you can walk on it."

Damaris laughed. "You're teasing me, water can't harden!"

"It can. It also gets so cold that instead of falling from the sky like rain it drifts softly from the clouds and touches your face as light as a whisper."

Nikolai brought his hands up and wiggled his fingers as he swayed his hands gently back and forth until they were close enough for him to lightly brush her lips and caress her cheek.

"Oh," Damaris breathed, closing her eyes and reveling in the delicious shiver that passed through her, "That sounds wonderful."

"I always thought the most beautiful sight in the world was newly fallen snow glistening in the sunlight and then I saw you smile."

Damaris opened her eyes to find Nikolai's face was inches from her own. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she felt a warmth in her belly as she gazed into his sparkling eyes. She smiled and steeled herself against his seduction, shifting away to put an extra inch between them.

"I bet you say that to all the women you meet."

Nikolai smiled and her stomach flipped as he slowly shook his head.

"No, I don't and if you don't believe me, know that you are not the only person who makes it a habit not to lie."

"Damaris!" called a voice from below, "Damaris, where are you?"

She stood up quickly, shaking herself out of her blissful reverie.

"It's my father," she sighed.

Glancing at the sky, the position of the moon and stars made her gasp.

"I had no idea it was so late! I must go."

"Damaris, wait!" Nikolai took her hand. "I'm leaving in the morning and I don't know when I'll return."

Her heart twisted.

"Are you?" she asked softly.

He drew her to him and held her in his arms.

"Damaris, I love you. Come with me and be my wife."

He loved her! They only just met but she was drawn to Nikolai in a way she had never felt before. Still, Pompeii was her home, her family's home. Her people were Pompeiians, they settled here when there was nothing. They remained when others fled from war and invasions. Her great-grandfather fought beside General Sulla when he took Pompeii for the Empire of Rome. His reward was the vast land that became the site of the hotel and several family villas. This was her legacy, left to Damaris when her mother died and now in the hands of her drunken father. For her mother's sake and the sake of her own children, Damaris intended to secure the finances of the hotel, which meant staying put to correct any errors made by her father that she didn't minimize in the first place. 

She'd be a fool to marry for love, especially when the man she loved was a stranger from a foreign land. While he had paid a large amount of coin to stay in the stables, this did not mean he was well off. If anything, it proved the man was a fool with money and could be detrimental to the fate of her hotel if she was able to persuade him to stay. Besides, everyone knew marriage was a financial contract and both she and her father had their sights set on the son of a Roman senator, any Roman senator.

"I can't, Nikolai. Pompeii is my home and my father needs me." Damaris told him.

"I need you!" Nikolai whispered, touching his forehead to hers.

"You don't know me." She whispered back.

"You are a sweet, loyal, and beautiful woman and I love you. That is all I need to know!"

He ran his fingers through her hair, cupped her cheek, and drew her in for a kiss. Her entire body melted into a pool of warm goo. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he deepened the kiss. He broke the kiss to nibble his way down her neck and shoulder. Her head fell back as she moaned, losing herself in his caress.

"Yes, my love." He whispered into her ear. "I want to make you feel this way always!"

"DAMARIS! Where did that girl get to?" her father called again, closer this time.

Damaris pushed away, trembling.

"I can't, Nikolai, can't you see?" She turned and hurried away shouting, "Coming Father!"