#Naughty or # Nice (The Holidaze Book 1)

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The noise of the ballroom came back to Sander, but his equilibrium remained wobbly. He stumbled back out into the light of the ballroom. All eyes turned to him and Sander froze. What had just happened?

"Sander, what's going on?" Meri asked as she approached his shell shocked body.

"M... m... Meri?" he stammered.

"Are you okay? You really don't look well and you're shaking," Meri said as she tapped him on the arm.

"I'm not too sure."

"I only went to the bathroom. What changed in that time?" Meri asked in concern.

"Ivy," Sander admitted.

Meri stiffened and quickly glanced over to the tables to see Ivy smirking at her. It took Meri a moment to ascertain Ivy's actions as she looked Sander over carefully.

"Did she bite you?" Meri exclaimed when she noticed the red mark on Sander's neck.

"She said that overly nice means no spice and that I should choose her because she's the spice," Sander babbled.

"I see."

Meri frowned, puffed out a frustrated breath and found herself lost for words. Ivy's need to win continued to grow. It was now at the point where it made Meri uncomfortable.

As much as she didn't want to, Meri knew that she had to start fighting for Sander. Ivy had such an absurd control over him and she intended to use it to make her point. If Meri wanted to keep Sander safe then she had to fight for him, there was no other way.

"That's something you need to explain more clearly. If Ivy's going to attack you and use this stupid naughty/nice thing as her defence then I need to know about it," Meri said as she shook his arm.

"If you come and dance with me, I will tell you as we dance," Sander managed to offer her a still shaking hand.

"Why don't we just sit at a table?"

"Because I am expected to dance. I am quite good and I promise not to step on your toes," he offered with a tentative smile that Meri found very hard to refuse.

"As long as you explain the naughty/nice thing," Meri waited for his nod before offering her hand.

Sander gave a gentle tug on her hand and led her out onto the large dance floor, which glowed in the light of all the candles. When other elf couples joined them, Meri didn't feel quite like a spectacle.

"Let's hear your explanation," Meri said a little more breathlessly than she liked.

When Sander pulled her against him, wrapped his arms around her and swayed to the rhythm of the music, Meri struggled to speak. Sander had it right, he did know how to dance. He also knew how to seduce her with that simple dance as well

"The naughty and nice list isn't about anything... sexual," Sander blushed but forged ahead with his answer. "It's all about you as an overall person. It's about how you treat others, how you act and what you do. For example, when you're angry at someone, you tend to let it go after a while, don't you?" Sander asked before he spun her away from him an arms length.

Meri thought about what he said, "I've never considered it because when I'm angry I'm focused on that and not anything else."

"Let me explain it another way. You give to charity, you do good things in your life and you feel bad if you upset other people. Those are the kinds of things that put you on the nice list. Doing the opposite or acting the opposite is where someone ends up on the naughty list."