Josh finished off his meal before half of the other employees had even made it through the queue. He came from a poor family with three kids, and whoever ate the fastest got dibs on seconds, so he’d been in the habit of wolfing down his food all his life.

Thankfully, the company had learned from the previous year’s fiasco. The food had been bad enough that they’d stopped going super cheap on company meals, and had found a caterer that seemed to do everything right. It wasn’t a proper family Christmas dinner, but it was as close as one could get on a mass catering scale. The caterer’s track record with good food was the tipping point that had convinced him to make the long drive to the Christmas party. The door prizes were nice - but a long shot. The food was a sure thing.

Pleasantly full, he chatted with a couple of the other loading dock workers he was friendly with for a few minutes, and then went to refill his iced tea.

So much for that idea, he thought as he approached the beverage dispensers. There were several people on the dock he wasn’t fond of, but Anthony he absolutely couldn’t stand. From the looks of him, he was ranting about something, and he was standing right next to the dispensers. The guy was lazy, full of himself, and bitched constantly about how he was being singled out and treated unfairly - by everyone and everything.

Another glass of tea wasn’t worth the aggravation.

Josh glanced at his phone and saw that it was going to be over an hour before they started announcing door prizes. He decided to throw on his coat and head to his car in the parking lot for a while, where he had tunes that weren’t Christmas music, and a bottle of Coke.

It was a sunny winter’s day with no wind, and so felt far warmer than it actually was. When he climbed in his car on the back side of the hotel, he found that the sun streaming through the windows had kept it warm enough that he didn’t even need the heater to feel comfortable. He drank his Coke, listened to music, and took in the view.

The hotel where the company had rented the banquet hall wasn’t part of the ski resort proper, but still had a great view of the snow-blanketed mountains. According to the signage, there were hiking trails through the pines and picnic shelters as well. Beyond the mounds pushed up by the plows were pristine natural drifts guided by the lay of the land and whim of the wind. Snow hung thick on the boughs of the pines rising out of those drifts. Above them was the majesty of the mountains.

It was a far different view than at home, where the mountains were a distant vision - most often blocked by buildings - and the snow was a dingy grey. He knew he could get an even better look if he took advantage of the slight discount the company had arranged on the slopes of the resort. The key word was slight, and he had never been on a pair of skis or a snowboard. That was something he didn’t want to try to learn in front of coworkers he would class as acquaintances rather than friends.

After only a few minutes of sitting, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced toward the back door of the hotel, where he’d just exited. A woman was standing there in the open door, facing inside. She had a great ass and long dark hair hanging in pigtails from a white knit cap. He thought he knew her, and when she turned slightly, it confirmed his guess. Leigh was fresh out of high school, hot as hell, and worked in one of the outlying departments of the warehouse.

She was also Anthony’s girlfriend.

Maybe not for long, Josh thought rather smugly when he realized she was gesturing angrily at him, where he stood just inside the door. It served him right as far as Josh was concerned. He had no idea what any woman saw in the jackass - let alone a sweet little hottie like Leigh.

Leigh turned and walked away from the hotel, and Anthony didn’t follow. As she approached, he could see that she was red-faced and had misty eyes. Her expression was likewise a mixture of anger and sorrow. He assumed she was heading for her car, but when she reached the back of the lot, she stepped onto the snow-covered trail leading into the pine forest.

It didn’t seem like a particularly good decision, but he was torn. If he followed after her, he could very well come off as a creeper. On the other hand, she was obviously upset and not thinking clearly. Wandering into an unfamiliar, snowy forest in that state was a recipe for potential disaster.

He agonized over the decision for a minute or so, until she actually vanished into the trees. That was what finally encouraged him to get up and follow her. Hers were the only footprints in the inch or so of snow that had fallen the night before, making her easy to track.

Catching up was a different matter entirely. She was moving quickly along the curving path, and paying no mind to where the snow had drifted a couple of inches deeper here and there. Josh increased his pace when he realized just how far ahead she must be.

He caught up after a bend in the trail near one of the picnic shelters to see her looking warily over her shoulder. She visibly relaxed when she recognized him.

“You okay, Leigh?” he asked.

“I’m okay, I guess,” she answered. He could see where her previously unshed tears had rolled down her cheeks as she walked.

“I was worried when I saw you walking back here alone. I’ll leave you alone if you want, but I wanted to check on you.”

“No, it’s okay. I should really go back. I wasn’t thinking about how stupid it was until I heard you behind me and didn’t know who was following me.”

“Sorry to scare you.” He noticed that one of the picnic tables beneath the shelter had avoided being covered in snow thanks to thick, overhanging pine boughs. He pointed and asked, “You want to sit down?”

“I...” She hesitated and fidgeted for a moment before continuing, “Sure.”

Josh shuffled his feet, making a path through the snow over to the shelter. They both stomped the snow off their shoes near the table, where only a dusting covered the concrete. He then climbed up to sit on the table, rather than the seat, and she did the same.

“You work on the dock with...” She trailed off, leaving the name unsaid. “It’s Josh - right?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Does Anthony talk about me? About us?”

Josh hesitated, knowing that what her boyfriend said about her probably wasn’t something she wanted to hear. “Well, we don’t really talk much.”

“But you hear him, I’m sure,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes. “Be honest. What does he say about me?”

He had no reason whatsoever to protect Anthony, and though he knew it would be hard to hear, she probably suspected the truth anyway. So he answered, “It’s mostly about sex, and complaining about anything else you want to do as smothering him.”

“He doesn’t call me his girlfriend, does he?”

“It’s mostly my bitch.”

She clenched her teeth and let out a little growl. “Has he ever talked about cheating on me?”

“Like I said, we don’t get along ... But I have seen things that make me think he might.”

“That skank Jennifer?”

Rumor was that Jennifer had slept with at least a dozen men from the warehouse and a couple of supervisors - one of whom was married. Her suspicions were hardly without evidence, and he told her, “I’ve seen him talking to her a few times after work in the parking lot.”

“I knew it. I am so tired of his shit.” She then sighed, caught his gaze, and said, “Thanks for telling me the truth.”

Damn, she’s beautiful, Josh thought as her eyes softened. “You’re welcome.”

Leigh said, “I almost didn’t come today. I’m glad I did now.” She then looked around and said, “It’s really pretty out here.”

Though he much preferred to enjoy the scenery right in front of him, he took in their surroundings as well. “Yeah. No tracks in the snow, and the snow hanging on all the pine boughs. The little beams of light that sneak through and light up patches of snow. It’s nice.”

“Just far enough away that you can pretend the hotel isn’t just over there, because you can’t see it.”

“Peaceful, and quiet,” he agreed.

Leigh made eye contact with him again. She was smiling, and her deep brown eyes were alight - once again entrapping him. “I don’t know why I can’t find a nice guy - like you.”

“I’m a guy like me,” he said before his brain could catch up with his mouth. He instantly winced and looked away, knowing how ridiculous it sounded.

Leigh laughed - though it had none of the mocking tone he expected after delivering such a cheesy line. She then reached up, cupped his chin, and guided him to look at her.

“Sorry. That...” He couldn’t finish. His face felt so hot from embarrassment that he was surprised he didn’t see water pouring off the roof from the snow melting away.

She smiled and said, “It’s okay. It was kind of cute, and sweet actually.”

He nearly gasped from the sparks flying between them as they looked into each other’s eyes. The next thing he knew, she was scooting closer to him, and then leaning in. He didn’t hesitate in the slightest to return her soft, sweet kiss.

Leigh let out a quiet moan when their lips parted. They locked eyes, and simultaneously sought each other’s lips once more.

Josh’s tongue slipped over hers, and he lifted his hand to caress her face. She tousled his hair and stroked his arm. Her kisses grew steadily more passionate, and he eagerly matched her. He wondered what she was doing when she reached up between them and unzipped her coat. She didn’t leave him guessing for long, and guided his hand to her breast before reaching between his legs. She moaned into their hungry kiss when she felt his hardness.

She was still squeezing his erection through his pants when she once again redirected the hand exploring her breasts. She guided it beneath her gray and black mottled sweater, and then back to the firm mounds again. No bra impeded his access to her, and he squeezed her left breast while running a thumb over her stiff nipple.

Leigh broke from the kiss, but stayed close enough for him to continue fondling her firm, eighteen-year-old breasts. She bit her lower lip for a moment, and then began unbuttoning his pants.

“What are you doing?” he asked in disbelief.

“What do you think?” she countered as she made quick work of the button and zipper. She fished his cock out into the crisp winter air, but it wasn’t exposed long.

He turned his hand as she leaned into his lap - never losing contact with her breast - and settled the other on the back of her head. Josh groaned when she took him in her hot little mouth.