Under the Mistletoe - Part 1

Each year, the teachers of Lincoln High School gathered in the lounge – the only space in the school that neither administrators nor students were permitted to enter – for a Christmas party. Each year, that party was a fairly bland, underwhelming affair attended by a collection of tired men and women that wanted nothing more than to go home for the weekend.

This year, Sarah Williams – one of the younger teachers at the school at just 26 – had volunteered to take charge of the party. She’d gone all out to transform the lounge into a festive space, decorating nearly every surface, baking a wealth of Christmas treats, crafting a delicious mulled cider, and putting together a perfect playlist. She’d even added red and green tints to some of the horrifying fluorescent lights in hopes of putting her coworkers in a cheerful mood.

Hailey, Sarah’s best friend at the school, was the first person through the door and she offered a bright smile and a gleeful squeal upon seeing the effort Sarah had gone to.

“Sarah!” she cried out. “This is incredible.”

Sarah beamed at her friend’s joy and they shared a quick embrace before more teachers started streaming in. Almost everyone – with the exception of a few particularly cranky coworkers – had nice things to say about the decorations, the food, and even the music, which was so cheery that Sarah was certain people would be annoyed.

Mr. Hudson, the newest teacher at the school, approached with a glass of cider in one hand and a perfectly crisp shortbread cookie shaped and decorated like a Christmas tree in the other. “Sarah, you’ve done a beautiful job. Though I shouldn’t be surprised. Of course someone as beautiful and talented as you pulled off a beautiful Christmas party.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hudson,” Sarah replied. She thought of chiding her colleague for calling her beautiful – she was a married woman, after all, and it was hardly appropriate – but it was a time of year meant for joy, so she thought better of it. She’d warned him before, after all, and he seemed intent on persisting despite her objections, so a chiding hardly seemed worth it.

“I’d love it if you’d call me Eli,” he replied. “We’ve worked together for four months now. Surely you can act as if we’re friends.”

Sarah tended to refer to most of her colleagues as their students would refer to them, in large part because she saw it as a sign of respect. “Very well, Eli,” she said.

Eli smiled and added, “You are exquisitely beautiful, you know.”

“I’m also married,” Sarah said. She hadn’t wanted to chide him, but he’d forced the issue. “And I’d appreciate it if you refrained from commenting on my looks.”

“I’ll do my best,” he replied. “But sometimes I can’t help it. You’re exquisite, Sarah.”

Sarah felt more than a little annoyed, but she refused to be drawn into an argument during a Christmas party. “My husband feels the same way,” she said. “Enjoy the party, Mr. Hudson.” Sarah turned from him, took a deep breath, and walked away.

“What happened to calling me Eli?” he called out as she headed for the food.

“More flirting?” Hailey asked as she sidled up next to Sarah in front of the cookies.

“He’s awful,” Sarah replied.

Hailey looked over her shoulder and bit her lower lip for a moment. “He’s really not. He’s delicious, Sarah. I’d love to cover that body of his in green frosting before I spent a night licking it off.”

“Hailey, please,” Sarah said. “I’m married, and he knows that. It’s just not right for him to flirt with me like that.”

Hailey snatched a cookie from the table and took a bite of it. “Delicious cookie, Sarah. Really. I couldn’t bake like this to save my life. Do you think it’s the baking that turns Eli on?”

“Can baking turn a man on?” Sarah asked with a smile.

Hailey took another bite and replied, “No, you’re probably right. So is it the pretty floral dresses you wear almost every day? Is it the cardigans?”

Sarah looked down at her outfit – she was wearing a red and white floral print dress and an unbuttoned soft white cardigan – and found it impossible to believe that Eli could find it irresistible. She dressed conservatively on purpose. She was a teacher, after all, and it would have been hugely inappropriate to show any sort of skin in school, especially considering some of her students were young men full of raging hormones.

“I wouldn’t mind taking him for a ride,” Hailey said.

Sarah rolled her eyes. Hailey was a dear friend, but sometimes she could be remarkably crude. “Hailey, please, we’re in school.”

“Sarah, my dear, we’re in the teacher’s lounge. This isn’t school. This is our sanctuary. This is where we go when we’re sick of the pain in the ass students and the asshole administrators. This is where we come for a little slice of peaceful freedom, which means I’m welcome to indulge in a little fantasy about taking the delicious dish that is Mr. Hudson for a ride,” Hailey said.

“A ride?” Sarah asked.

They stepped away from the food and drinks and Hailey smiled before aggressively snapping off yet another bite of her cookie. “You can’t be serious?” she asked as a few crumbles spilled from her lips. “Surely you know what I mean, right? That I’d enjoy putting him in a chair and quite literally taking him for a ride?”

“Oh, well, I guess I got the gist of what you were saying,” Sarah replied as she felt a little embarrassed for not knowing that her friend was being quite literal.

“You’ve been on top, right?” Hailey asked with an amused smile on her face.

Sarah felt her face redden at the mere mention of sex in a room full of her colleagues. “Yes, of course,” she said. “I’ve never had Matthew sit in a chair, though. That’s all. I’ve been on top before though.” She got on top from time to time, but the truth was that sex with Matthew was typically in missionary and Sarah found no reason to object as it was quite pleasurable.

Hailey studied Sarah’s face for a few seconds, smiled, and said, “You’re quite sheltered, aren’t you?”

Sarah wasn’t sure how to answer that question, though it was almost certainly true that she was quite sheltered. She’d lost her virginity to Matthew on their six month dating anniversary and they’d gotten married shortly after graduating, making him the only man she’d ever been with. Sarah had never regretted that, though. In fact, it was a point of pride for her that she’d only ever had one sexual partner.

“Sorry,” Hailey said. “That was a shitty thing to say. There’s nothing wrong with being sheltered, Sarah. It’s wonderful. I’m just saying that sometimes I can’t help but want to strip Eli naked, get him nice and hard for me, and take him for a ride until I’m seeing stars.”

“Why don’t you?” Sarah asked. “Take him for a ride, I mean?”

Hailey laughed. “Well, look at you, suggesting I get naughty with our fellow teacher. Believe me, I’d love to, but he’s made it clear enough that he’s not interested. It seems that he only has eyes for you, Mrs. Williams. It’s a shame you’re not willing to take advantage, as Mr. Hudson is quite the delicious dish and I’m willing to bet that at least some of his unyielding confidence comes from having a truly massive…well, from wielding something rather impressive between his legs, let’s say.”

“Is that the sort of thing that would give a man confidence?” Sarah asked, showing yet again just how sheltered she was.

Hailey offered a quizzical look and replied, “Surely you understand that it feels better when it’s big, right? I mean, there’s a limit – something truly massive can be kind of uncomfortable – but bigger is unquestionably better.”

“I’ve only ever had…” Sarah began before hesitating. Did she really want to share the details of her sex life with Hailey? She thought it over for a moment before deciding that yes, she did want to share those details. “I’ve only ever been with Matthew.”

Hailey pulled Sarah a little further from the crowd of teachers enjoying Sarah’s food and cider and asked, “You’ve only had sex with one guy?”

Sarah nodded.

“Your husband is the only guy you’ve had sex with?” Hailey asked as if it was an insane notion.

“Yes,” Sarah replied with just a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Why? How many guys have you been with?”

Hailey laughed. “A lot more than one, that’s for sure.”

Sarah felt a little uncomfortable, but she couldn’t tell if she was silently judging her friend or if she felt inferior in some way. She’d always liked that she’d only been with one man, but Hailey seemed to think it was a mistake. “Is it bad that I’ve only been with one guy?” she asked.

“No,” Hailey said. “Assuming your sex life is satisfying, that is.”

“It is,” Sarah replied, though a nagging thought she couldn’t quite identify lingered in the back of her mind.

“Then you’re not missing out on anything,” Hailey noted. “I’d much rather be married than single and still searching, even if it means I have a more varied sex life. I’m pretty sure that’s not nearly as interesting as some people make it out to be.”

Hailey looked just a little sad and Sarah couldn’t help but want to lift her friend’s spirits. “What if I talked to Eli for you?” she asked. “I could…I don’t know, I could be your wingwoman. I guess I’m not really sure what that is, but I’ve heard people talk about it.”

Hailey laughed. “You want to help me get laid, Sarah? Is that what you’re saying?”

Sarah was a little embarrassed at the notion, but she nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying. I want to help you…well, you know. So, should I go talk to Eli?”

“Why not,” Hailey replied.

“Okay,” Sarah said. “I’ll give it a shot.” She headed back to the food table, grabbed a fresh plate and put a few cookies on it, and then headed for Eli, who’d just broken away from a conversation with two of the least pleasant teachers at the school.

“You’re a Christmas vision,” Eli said as she approached. His eyes roamed up and down her body, though not in a particularly lascivious manner. “Have you brought me a cookie?”

“I have,” Sarah replied with a smile. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Will you call me Eli?” he asked as he snatched the cookie from her plate.

“Yes, Eli, I can do that,” Sarah said.

Eli bit the cookie, offered an appreciative smile, and replied, “Very well then. Assuming you didn’t come over here to ask me out, what did you want to talk about?”

Sarah set her plate on the table next to them and absentmindedly adjusted her cardigan as she thought of Hailey’s words. She was, in fact, going to try and help her friend get laid, which was not something she’d ever done in her life.

“I really do love your cardigans,” Eli said before Sarah could muster up the courage to pitch Hailey’s good qualities. “I know most people don’t think of a cardigan as sexy, but there’s something about them I find utterly irresistible. Yours always look so soft, too.”

He reached out and gently ran his fingers over her shoulder. He barely touched her, and yet Sarah felt a surprisingly pleasant feeling move down her spine.

“I can’t explain it,” he said, “but every day I see you come into school and I find it impossible not to stare. Your hair is always soft and shiny. Your glasses always look perfect. Your dresses always fit immaculately. Your cardigans are always soft, and on the rare occasion when you button them up, my god, it’s all I can do not to embarrass myself in public.”

Sarah looked down to see that Eli’s hand remained on her arm, that she’d let him rest it there without stepping away, that in fact she didn’t feel anywhere near as scandalized as she knew she should because of his overt flirting.

“You know, we’re standing under the mistletoe,” Eli said. “Tradition dictates that we share a kiss.”

“I…I didn’t put up any mistletoe,” Sarah said softly.

Eli looked up and she followed his gaze to see mistletoe hanging from a hook in the soft ceiling tile. “I did,” he replied. He took his hand in hers and subtly leaned forward. “I wanted to be prepared for a moment just like this one.”

For a moment Sarah’s legs felt as though they were encased in concrete. She remained still as Eli’s lips approached hers. Her pulse raced and she felt butterflies in her stomach. Horrified at her reaction to Eli’s attempt to kiss her, Sarah pulled her hand from his, turned, and walked away with her hands clasped in front of her. She wrapped her cardigan tightly around her body and then remembered his comment about how much he enjoyed it when she buttoned them up and quickly released it.

“What’s the matter?” Hailey asked as Sarah approached. “Your face and neck are red and your hands are shaking. What happened?”

“He tried to kiss me,” Sarah said in a panic. “He said we were under the mistletoe and that tradition dictated we should share a kiss. I didn’t even put up mistletoe – you can’t do that at work – but he apparently brought his own.”

“Wow,” Hailey replied as she looked across the room at Eli, who remained under the mistletoe. “You were talking for a little while. What did he say?”

“He just talked about how irresistible he finds me. How he likes my hair, and my glasses, and my dresses, and my cardigans. He talked about how he really likes it when I button them up. I mean, why would he say those things?” Sarah asked.

“I suspect he likes the way your breasts look when you button the cardigans,” Hailey said. “He’s not wrong, either. They look spectacular.”

Sarah looked down at her dress and said, “But my breasts aren’t showing. Why would you say that?”

Hailey reached out and put a hand on Sarah’s arm. “I’m sorry. That was crude of me. I just meant that some men really like the way a woman’s breasts look in a sweater, is all. I’m not saying you’re being, slutty, or whatever it is you’re worried about. You’re not, Sarah. You’re as demure a woman as I’ve ever met. If you’re worried that you’re sending the wrong message with how you dress, you’re definitely not.”

Sarah wasn’t worried about that. She couldn’t admit it to Hailey or anyone else – she could barely admit it to herself – but the thing that worried her was that, for a moment at least, she’d wanted Eli to kiss her. She’d wanted to feel his lips against hers. She’d wanted to feel him touch her again. Some part of her still wanted it.

“Thank you for saying that,” Sarah said in lieu of explaining what was really going on in her head.

“Are you going to be okay?” Hailey asked. “I can talk to the principal about Eli. I’m pretty sure he’d be fired, especially in the current environment.”

Sarah shook her head. “No, no. He doesn’t deserve to be fired. Not for that. He didn’t actually get all that close to kissing me and it’s not like he cornered me or anything. All he really did was tell me how much he liked me. He shouldn’t be fired for that. I should have just walked away sooner.”

“Why didn’t you?” Hailey asked.

Sarah looked up to see that her friend was smiling, almost as if she knew that Sarah hadn’t walked away because some part of her enjoyed every word from Eli’s lips. Every other part of her was horrified at that, though, and she felt ravaged with guilt for even listening to Eli’s overtures. “I don’t know,” Sarah said. “I should have, though. It’s just awful of me not to have walked away. What would Matthew think?”

Hailey squeezed Sarah’s hand and said, “Maybe he’d like that another man found his wife so attractive. Maybe he’d feel lucky to be married to such a beautiful woman? I mean, he must love how much effort you put into looking good.”

Sarah smiled. “He does. He tells me every day how beautiful he thinks I am.”

“You can’t control if someone else is attracted to you, Sarah,” Hailey said. “It’s not as if you were flirting with Eli, so it would be kind of insane if your husband was mad. He might be jealous, but there’s nothing wrong with a little jealousy. It can be a good thing, in fact.”

“It can?” Sarah asked.

Hailey laughed. “My sweet, sheltered friend. Yes, it can absolutely be a good thing. I won’t get too explicit, but some of the best sex I’ve ever had has been fueled by jealousy. In my experience, it has a way of inspiring a man to put in a great deal of effort in pleasing his woman.”

“I’d never thought of it that way,” Sarah said as she scanned her memories for any sex that might have been fueled by jealousy on Matthew’s part. She didn’t come up with anything, though.

“I’m not saying I’d recommend it, but you could tell Matthew about your little encounter with Eli and see what happens. Maybe he’d had no choice but to tear that pretty cardigan and dress combo off and have his way with you in hopes of making you completely forget that another man has eyes for you,” Hailey said.

Sarah couldn’t imagine telling Matthew that someone else had shown enough interest in her to try and initiate a kiss. Matthew was a kind man and Sarah was certain he wouldn’t be angry at her, but she felt certain he’d be hurt and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Or you could just forget about it,” Hailey said. “I’m pretty sure I saw Eli sneak a little bit of booze into his cider, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was behaving that way because he’d downed a bit of liquid courage.”

Sarah wasn’t going to say it, but the thing that worried her the most was the notion that she wouldn’t be able to forget about it. Despite her efforts to clear her mind, she kept thinking of the way Eli had touched her. The experience of his touch – of his fingers moving from her shoulder all the way down to her hand – kept replaying in her mind, and each time it produced those same butterflies in her stomach that she found oddly pleasant. Sarah’s guilt deepened each time she replayed the memory, and yet she couldn’t stop herself from doing it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Hailey asked.

Sarah smiled and did her best to clear her mind. “I am. I really am. I think I’m just surprised by the whole thing. Men don’t really flirt with me, and to have someone go right past flirting to trying to kiss me just caught me off guard, is all.” Deep down, Sarah knew that wasn’t what had her off balance. She wasn’t going to admit that, though, so she resolved to try and push it all down and forget about it. “I could use some more cider, though.”

“Of course,” Hailey said. “I’ll stick by you, too, so I can run interference if Eli tries to come at you again.”

“Thanks,” Sarah replied. “Oh, and I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about you. He didn’t really let me get a word in, to be honest.”

Hailey laughed. “That’s alright, Sarah. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and I think it’s pretty clear that Eli only has eyes for one teacher in this school.”

Sarah couldn’t help but smile as Hailey’s words triggered her to relive Eli’s touch once more. She felt that same pleasant feeling move down her spine and the same butterflies in her stomach.

“Do you really think Matthew might be jealous in a good way?” Sarah asked.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Hailey replied as she reached for a cup to fill with cider. “I probably wouldn’t tell him about the part where Eli tried to kiss you, though.”

“That’s good advice,” Sarah said, though she wasn’t sure if she was going to mention it at all. There was a part of her that liked the idea of having the kind of jealousy-fueled sex that Hailey had mentioned, if only because she’d never experienced it before. Perhaps that was far too dangerous a road to go down, though. Sarah wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but she resolved to decide before she got home that night.