Covert Exposure by Valerie J. Clarizio Read Free Book Online Page B

him to take note of her hourglass
figure. Lowering his eyes further, he saw how the white furry trim
on the bottom of her dress fell several inches above her knees
exposing her slim but shapely legs.
    He raised his eyes to meet hers. He locked in
on her gaze. She took a step toward him, pulled a frown, and
squinted, as if trying to figure out his identity. He quickly
released his gaze. He suddenly felt the need to keep his identity a
secret from her.
    Spinelli watched as Shannon approached the
line of children. She extended her arm toward the first little boy
in line and he took her hand. “What is your name?” she asked the
boy as she walked with him toward Spinelli.
    “Matthew.”
    Shannon and Matthew walked up to Spinelli and
stood right in front of him. Matthew looked up at him with his big
brown eyes. Spinelli easily detected the fear in them. With as
scared as Matthew seemed, Spinelli knew Matthew’s fear level
couldn’t begin to compare to his own as he realized he didn’t know
the slightest thing about playing Santa or what to do with Matthew
and the other fifty kids in line behind him. Spinelli flashed his
confused gaze in Shannon’s direction and almost as if she read his
thoughts, she took charge of the situation. She looked down at
Matthew. “Do you want to climb up on Santa’s lap and tell him what
you want for Christmas?”
    Matthew nodded his little head. Shannon
reached down, scooped him up, and placed him on Spinelli’s lap then
she crouched down in front of them and kept her eyes aligned with
Matthew’s. Spinelli still wasn’t sure what to do. He could feel the
sweat beading up on his upper lip and temples. His perspiration
caused his face to itch even more under his strap-on beard. It took
every bit of strength he could muster not to tear the beard off his
face and scratch his chin raw.
    Shannon shifted her gaze from Matthew’s to
Spinelli’s and quietly mouthed, “Ho, ho, ho.” Shear panic ran
through his veins as she coaxed him along. He looked down at
Matthew, sucked in a deep breath and let it out with a mighty and
cheerful “Ho, ho, ho.” The authenticity even surprised Spinelli.
Matthew’s eyes went wide and a smile grew across his chubby little
face as he began to rattle off his extensive Christmas list.
    Four hours later, the mother of the last
child in line worked desperately to coax her daughter to climb up
on Santa’s lap, give him her Christmas list, and get her photo
taken. After several failed attempts, the woman simply scooped her
daughter up and planted her on Spinelli’s lap. The little girl
shifted her terrified blue-eyed gaze to Spinelli’s and upon
contact, she immediately started wailing. She slid down his leg to
get off his lap but not before she peed her pants. Spinelli sprang
to his feet as he realized what happened. The wetness penetrated
through his plush red velvet pants causing his pant leg to stick to
his skin. He wanted to swear a blue streak, but contained himself
in front of those who remained in the Santa village.
     

 
    Chapter
Ten
     
    Spinelli sauntered toward the employee locker
room. Though anxious to lose the hot, itchy, and wet Santa suit, he
slowed down to trail the elves and eavesdrop. Maybe he’d hear
something he could use to nab the killer. But no, they droned on
about semester finals and griped about having to work at the mall
for the holidays. Poor kids , he thought as he did a mental
eye roll.
    Once in the locker room Spinelli kept
listening while he peeled off the Santa suit. Still nothing
important. He glanced at the soggy trousers. Damn this is
disgusting. What the hell is wrong with kids today? With any
luck, the drycleaners would be open in the morning and he could get
the urine-polluted Santa suit cleaned before his shift tomorrow
night.
    He stuffed the suit into his duffel bag and
slung it over his shoulder. He rounded the corner of the locker row
to find the elves and a couple of security guards still talking
among themselves.