Story Teaser: The Art of Deception By Speklez

Oh, fun for me. I get to be shameless and do a little self pimping. Last year was my first year donating to this amazing charity and this was one of the three stories I donated. Our fab Busymommy made the banner and I took the idea and ran with it. After many, many, MANY talks of the direction of the story, the plot was born and here we are with the second chapter of what was my first dance with slash. The Art of Deception was started in the Christmas Wishes compilation and here is where it lives on. 

The Art of Deception

by Speklez

It’s an art form getting people to think that everything they think to be true is anything but. However, no matter how you hide, how you ignore the burn of the lies that ignite a fire in your soul, in the end they always come out to destroy you.

*****

H*A*R*R*Y POV

We stayed like that for as he drank his coffee and waited for the medication to kick in. When he was finished, he leaned forward and set his cup back on the table before standing up, lacing his fingers together, and raising his arms above his head, stretching out his back.

Dropping his arms to his side, he turned to me, leaning forward and bracing himself on the back of the couch. “I going to go get a shower.” Dipping his head to mine, he pushed my head back with his forehead so it was lying on the back of the couch before pressing his lips to mine.

It was soft at first, but picked up in intensity when I pushed back against him, parting my lips at his request. I would never get tired of the sounds that came from the man above me. The soft moan at the first touch of our tongues would drive me wild every time I heard it. I would also never get tired of the feel of his fingers sliding into my hair, pulling at it to tilt my head the way he wanted.

He could call my hair stupid all he wanted, he knew he loved it. He also knew I knew it, too.

If I thought things were going to stop there, I was pleasantly surprised when he shifted his stance, using the leverage to push me to my back, and moving with me so the kiss wasn’t broken. I arched into him when he rolled his hips, his hand on my hip pulling me rougher against him.

When the kiss did break, Draco was panting, his steel eyes dark and hard as slate boring into mine. His voice was deep and rough. “Bedroom.”

*****

Is it hot in here, or is it just me? *giggles*

Time is very quickly running out to get your donation in. For a measly 5 dollars, you not only get exclusive first rights to every story in our compilation, but that donation will ensure that a child gets a visit from Santa that otherwise wouldn't have a Christmas. We are accepting donation slips right up until midnight Christmas Eve. Simply email us a copy at christmaswishest4t@yahoo.com and Santa will make a stop by your email on his way around the world.

On Santa's Team

I was looking up some printable coloring pages for my kids this morning, when I drifted across this story. It made me smile, I hope you will, too.

On Santa's Team
Author Unknown

My grandma taught me everything about Christmas. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," jeered my sister. "Even dummies know that!" 

My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. 

"No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go." 

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. 

"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's. 

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. 

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough; but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. I didn't see a price tag, but ten dollars ought to buy anything. I put the coat and my ten-dollar bill on the counter and pushed them toward the lady behind it. 

She looked at the coat, the money, and me. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" she asked kindly. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie. He's in my class, and he doesn't have a coat." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas. 

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it ... Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. 

Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. 

Suddenly, Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." 

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell twice and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie. He looked down, looked around, picked up his present, took it inside and closed the door. 

Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: Ridiculous!

Santa was alive and well ... AND WE WERE ON HIS TEAM!

Are you ready to join Santa's team this Christmas?  Just a $5 donation to Toys for Tots is all it takes to receive the wonderful compilation that the Christmas Wishes authors (aka Santa's Elves) have been busily composing. Won't you make a donation and join the team?

Blog Updates, Looming Deadlines, and Donations Needed

I hope this post finds everyone well and gearing up for their holidays!

We are one month out from the deadline for banner and summary submissions, so authors mark your calendars and be sure to get them in on time.

We have only had a few donations, but I am hoping, now that back-to-school and Halloween have passed, that everyone is settling into their Christmas spirit and we will start seeing the donations coming in. Everyone has always been so supportive of this cause, and the children it helps, and I have every confidence you all will be again.

Author signups are stilll open, and will be accepted right up until December 10th, when banners and submissions are due. I see many familiar names on the list, as well as a few new ones- and I know of a couple who haven't sent their information in yet  - y'all can expect an email or a Facebook message from me later ;).

If you haven't made a donation yet, I hope you will soon. The authors who donate their time to write these submissions, and the artists who design their banners, do so from the depths of their hearts, out of a love for children. Please show them the support their efforts deserve. All donations are made directly to Toys for Tots and benefit children who otherwise wouldn't experience the joy of a visit from Santa Claus on Christmas morning. For them, I hope you can find it in your hearts to open your wallets.

Until next time, may the Spirit of the season surround you and yours ~ 

Author Sign-Ups

All authors who have signed up to date are added to the author page. If you have signed up, and not received a welcome email and are not on the author page, something went wrong during the sign up process. Please resubmit, so I can get you listed.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already signed up, and to those who have already donated. Your generosity means the world to not just me,bot to the children that will be blessed because of it.

There is still plenty of time, and I am looking forward to this year's compilation being as successful as those in the past.
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With Eyes Full of Tears...

I'm ecstatic to announce that overnight, I received three generous donations that have pushed us to less than a $100 dollars from the goal I had when I first got the idea to organize this compilation. I have no words to express my love and admiration for the many generous hearts that are part of the world of fanfiction, both as readers and writers. Several other stories have been received, too, so expect a few more teasers to hit the blog later on today.

Make sure you check out the teasers and banners. There are so many wonderful stories already submitted, by several well-loved authors. Just a $5 donation will have Santa dropping a copy of the amazing collection in your inboxes on Christmas Day, and he's even letting the naughty girls and boys in on this one!Treat yourself while helping out a child this Christmas.

Writers: Don't forget your submissions are due today. Please, do not hesitate to email us if you have any problems. Also, Banners for Causes and our other banner volunteers are still prepared to create banners if you have an idea for something special to accompany your stories. Jump on it quick, though!