A CHRISTMAS WISH KISS-1

"I can’t believe you talked me into doing this! I must be insane!" I almost screamed.

At that moment, I did feel insane. What started out as a joke between Allia and me had escalated into so much more. Ali was on a charity committee and the big end-of-the-year Christmas fundraiser was called, oddly enough, "A CHRISTMAS WISH PARTY." The idea itself was brilliant, but since she had roped me into being one of the "wish-elves", things had totally gotten out of hand.

I remember the conversation we had had just a week ago. She had said, "But Destiny, you have to say yes! Three of my girls have the flu, so I'm painfully short on staff. I filled the waitress positions, but I still need another elf. That's you! Come on, it's going to be the celebrity party. Lots of faces we have lusted over will be there. Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and…"

Before she could finish, I held up a hand to stop her. I said, "Ali, I will do anything you need me to do, but I just can't be a "wish-elf". I can't!" The whole premise behind the "wish-elf" came from the old- timey kissing booths that used to be set up in carnivals. Each elf had their own booth, complete with mistletoe hanging all over it. The person making the wish, after making a modest donation to the charity of their choice, would receive a kiss from the elf. Not a bad idea. The kisses were supposed to be chaste, and on the cheek. But it still un-nerved me to think of kissing so many strangers.

Allia said, "Destiny, come on, it'll be fun."

I said, "Ali, I'll be self-conscious about everything I do. I can't do it."

Allia said, "Destiny, before you tell me a definite no, can I show you something?"

I sighed and said, "OK, show me."

She pulled out a box that was full of envelopes. It was the replies of everyone who responded to the RSVP invitations. She said, "Destiny, look who accepted. Look who's going to be there."

I took the envelope she held out and opened it. The words leaped off the page and straight into my heart. It said, "We would be honored to join you for such a worthy cause." It was signed, "The Backstreet Boys".

Allia could tell by the look on my face she had me hooked, now she just had to reel me in. She said, "Destiny, he's going to be there. This is your chance, the one you've been dreaming of." I grimaced as she said, "Girl, Nick Carter is going to be there."

I looked at her and said, "Man, you fight dirty."

She laughed and said, "No, I wasn't going to ask you to do this until I saw this card. I knew that this was the chance of a lifetime. I'm going to find a way to meet Brian there, now that he's single again, and you are going to meet Nick."

I said, "Ali, I'm going to be stuck in the elf-booth, how am I going to mingle and meet him?"

Allia said, "That's easy, we are going to make sure he makes a wish, and you are going to be just the elf to grant that wish."

Now, the night of the ball, here I sit, in my cheesy elf costume, letting half-drunk celebrities kiss me. I had to admit, it wasn't too bad. Everyone had been very polite and played along. Of the 4 "wish booths", mine seemed to stay the busiest. I had raised almost $500,000 in just a few hours. But still no sign of the BSB. Allia came by during a break in wishes and said, "Girl, you are doing fabulously. Is there a reason that Brad Pitt has been to your booth 3 times? His wife isn't very happy."

I laughed and said, "I know, I know. I have nothing to do with it. He keeps trying to look down my lovely elf top. Which, by the way is almost indecent!" Which was true. The top was skin tight and low cut. It was a deep green to off-set the red Santa mini-skirt I wore. The outfit was topped off by black hose, elf shoes, and a really dorky looking hat. Laughing, I say, "The upside is, he’s donated $75,000."

She laughed and said, "Girl, you have got the goods to show it off. Don't sweat it. I'll keep Brad off your back, cause guess who just walked in?"

My gaze flew to the door, and there stood the Backstreet Boys. As their arrival was announced, everyone clapped and cheered. I stood breathlessly and stared at Nick. He had on a charcoal gray suit. The top two buttons on his white dress shirt were undone. He looked so good, I almost licked my lips in anticipation.

Allia saw my reaction and said, "I'm going to say hello. Then I'm sending them to make their wishes. I'll make sure Nick finds you."

I tore her gaze from Nick and looked at her. I said, "Sis, you are the best!"

Allia had butterflies in her stomach when she greeted them. All the guys were super nice. Nick seemed a little quiet. Before she had a chance to mention the wishes, one of the other organizers walked up and said, "Allia, we are closing all the booths but Destiny’s. Hers has been the busiest, so we are sending the rest of the elves home."

Ali said, "OK, thanks." She turned back to the BSB and said, "Gentlemen, you are in luck. The wish booth we have left open has granted quite a few wishes tonight. You must go and visit our special ‘wish-elf’!"

AJ said, "Yeah, we read about the wishes and all that. It’s a cool idea! I know just what I’m wishing for!"

The rest of the guys laughed and she said, "Well, then, what about the rest of you? Have you decided on what you want to wish for?"

Brian looked at Allia and said, "No, but I’m getting some ideas."

She blushed and pointed out the wish booth. AJ whistled and said, "Wow, that’s a pretty damn good looking elf. I may change my wish."

As he walked to the booth, Allia watched Nick’s reaction. When he first saw Destiny, she could see his interest. His eyes danced as they watched her. She slid up to Nick and whispered, "Nick, your wish is the one that she will grant. You just have to ask the right question."

Nick looked a little confused as he looked at her. He said, "What question?"

She said, "Nick, you’ll know. Just go to her."

By this time, the rest of the guys were in line behind AJ. He walked up to the booth and said, "Hey, how are you?"

I said, "Hi, AJ, I’m fine, how are you enjoying the party?"

He smiled and said, "Oh, it’s a lot better now."

I said, "Oh, really? OK, AJ, so what is your wish for this evening?"

AJ grinned and said, "Well, how’s this? I wish I could spend the evening with a beautiful woman locked in my embrace."

I smiled and said, "That’s a powerful wish AJ. It may take a few minutes for me to make it happen. Until then, how’s this?" I leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he turned his head so his lips were touching mine. It was a soft kiss, barely a whisper of a touch. His lips were soft and strong at the same time. This man could definitely kiss.

When I pulled back, I said, "AJ, I’ll work extra hard on your wish, OK?" I was blushing and AJ just grinned.

He said, "You do that, baby."

Howie was next. He said, "Merry Christmas."

I said, "Thanks, Howie, Merry Christmas to you too. What wish can I grant for you this evening?"

He smiled and said, "Oh, I don’t know, I haven’t thought much about wishing. I was just hoping for a kiss."

I smiled and said, "Well, that’s an easy one to fulfill Mr. Dorough." I was feeling a little bold and a lot reckless, so I leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips. He seemed shocked, but went along with it. It was a short kiss, but very nice. I pulled back and said, "Thanks Howie."

He grinned and winked and said "No, thank you!"

Kevin was next in line. He smiled and said, "This is a wonderful thing you are doing."

I laughed and said, "Thanks Kevin, but it was all Allia’s idea. I’m just helping out. I'm glad to see you here. I was so sad when you left the group."

"Thank you, I miss it, but I needed a change. And now that I'm single again, maybe I'll be back." he said, "You are raising money for some very worthwhile charities tonight. This is great."

I said, "So, Kevin, what’s your wish gonna be?"

He said, "It sounds corny, but I just want everyone to be happy and healthy."

I said, "Kevin, that’s not corny, it’s beautiful." I leaned up, and again, feeling very bold, I kissed him on the lips. It was just a little peck. Kevin was a little shocked, but laughed. He had nice lips that I’ll bet could work some magic on anyone.

He said, "Thank you. I hope my wish comes true."

I smiled and said, "I hope so too, Kevin."

Brian was next in line. He looked almost shy as he walked up. I said, "Hello there Brian, how are you?"
He said, "I’m fine, how are you?"

I said, "I’m fine thanks. So what wish shall I grant for you tonight?"

He smiled and said, "That’s easy, I want to get to know your friend Allia better."

I laughed and said, "OK, that’s the easiest wish I have had all night."

He said, "Well, you haven’t heard Nick’s yet. But hey, I’m supposed to get a kiss, right?"

I grinned and said, "Yes you are." I leaned up and planted a big, loud kiss right on his lips. I knew Allia was watching so I made a production out of it. When I pulled back, he said, "Ok, was that chaste? Because it missed my cheek."

I busted out laughing and said, "Brian, go ask Ali to dance. She has been waiting on you."

He grinned and said, "Thanks Elf!" I laughed again as he walked away.

Looking up, I found myself gazing into the sexiest blue eyes I have ever seen. My heart was indeed racing and for some reason, I forgot how to breathe. Nick walked up and said, "Hey."

I said, "Hi Nick, how are you?" For some reason, I sounded breathless.

Nick gave me a shy smile and said, "I’m fine. Umm, how are you? What‘s your name?"

I gave a little grin at his shyness and said, "I’m fine. My name is Destiny. Are you enjoying the party?"
He said, "Well, yeah, I guess. I don’t like parties too much, because I’ve never been really good at making small talk."

I gave him an encouraging smile and said, "I don’t much like big parties either. I’m more of a one on one type of girl." When I realized what I said, I blushed.

Nick grinned at me and said, "You sound like my kind of woman." When I blushed an even deeper shade of red, he said, "How long do you have to stay?"

I thought for a moment, and said, "Well, technically, I was supposed to be finished 30 minutes ago, so after your wish, I’m free, I suppose."

He said, "Oh, yeah, my wish."

I noticed the teasing smirk was gone and in itsplace was a look of uncertainty. I said, "Nick, what’s wrong? You seem tense."

He said, "I know what I want, that's the easy part. It’s just I don't want to say something wrong and insult you."

I said, "Nick, don’t worry about that. As long as you are being yourself, whatever you say will be fine. You get tripped up when you try to be something that you aren't."

He smiled and said, "Yeah, but most people don’t want to know the real me. They want to know the Backstreet Boy Nick Carter."

I kind of grinned and said, "Well, I do too, but I want to know the man away from the spotlight. I’d like to know a lot more about him."

Nick blushed and said, "Really?"

I said, "Nick, has it been so long since anyone has just wanted to talk with you? About anything? You know, like sports, or video games. Anything but the Backstreet Boys?"

Nick said, "The only time I don’t talk about the group is when I’m with the guys. I’ve never met a woman who wanted to talk sports or a video game."

He looked so lost, I had to try to comfort him. I reached out and gently stroked his face. I said, "Nick, you’ve been hanging with the wrong crowd."

He covered my hand with his and said, "I think you are right."

Glancing to my left, I saw Ali dancing with Brian and kind of watching me. That brought me back to the party. Glancing up at the mistletoe, I said, "Nick, I guess we better be getting to your wish. What would you like to wish for this evening?"

Nick thought about it and said, "OK, if I’m gonna be the real me with you, does that mean I can say it my way and not upset you?"

I said, "Nick, just be yourself."

He said, "OK, then, Destiny. I wish I could take you right now out of this party. I want to go for a walk on the beach, watching the stars twinkle in the sky. I want to look down into your gorgeous blue eyes and drown in them. Then I want to kiss you. All over. I want to touch you and hold you. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, I want to get to know you better."

My breath caught as I watched his face slowly descend to mine. I licked my lips in anticipation of feeling his mouth on me. He saw the movement of my tongue and groaned. When his mouth was close enough to mine, he slowly outlined my lips with his tongue. Then he quickly covered my mouth with his. His mouth was hot as his tongue wrapped around mine. He tasted so good to me, I thought I would die right then and there. He began nibbling on my lower lip, causing me to moan. I pushed my hands up through his hair, pulling his head even closer. My fingertips stroked his jaw bone as we continued to kiss. I could feel my body become aroused and I knew I had to pull back before it was too late. As if reading my mind, he pulled back, staring into my eyes.

When I caught my breath, I said, "Wow. Umm, Nick, is there a beach close by?"

Catching my meaning, he said, "No, not really, but we can go to my hotel room and pretend it’s a beach."

I laughed as he took my hand in his and pulled me to the door. I said, "Nick, that’s a great idea."

He said, "Baby, that was some Christmas kiss. Now, do you think my Christmas wish will come true?"

I said, "Nick, that’s one wish this elf will be more than happy to grant."