When I wake up at the table with a killer headache the next morning, I begin to wonder if it wasn’t all a figment of my imagination. Except a few minutes later, I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket and pull it out to focus on a message from Alexander. “Don’t forget.” Are the only words on the screen as I stare in disbelief.
“It was real? I could have sworn that it was just a bad dream because of what I drank.” I murmur under my breath as I scratch the back of my neck and close my eyes just for a second.
Not wanting to confirm his words, I quickly put the little phone on the hardwood kitchen table and then slide the matching chair back as I stand. Stretching slowly, I reach towards the ceiling and yawn at the same time. When I finally look around, I scan the room before Emily perks her ears up and stares at me with her beautiful green feline eyes as she stands up and saunters towards me.
Meowing softly, she looks as if she is smiling and is trying her best to say good morning to me in her soft-spoken little voice. Ever since she was a little kitten, she has sounded like this. When she grew, her voice stayed the same even though she became an oversized grey tabby, who tends to eat far more than she should.
If this overbearing man has his way, what will I do with her? Surely, she wouldn’t be happy anywhere but here. Clearly, he must have been joking and still is because we have just met. After all, this is just not the way things are done in the twenty first century.
Shaking my head, I say softly to her as I lean down to pet her soft flowing coat, “Emily, what shall I do with you?”
Picking her up, I stand and then carry her over to the counter where I place both her and then a can of cat food from the cabinet just below her. As I pull the tab on the lid Emily stares patiently at me, until she hears the familiar pop and then she smells the especially pungent odor of the tuna and goes wild. Jumping up and down, she reminds me of the kitten she once was before I empty the contents into her food bowl and stand back to watch as she begins to feast on her meal hungrily.
Smiling, I let my thoughts wonder off to last night and the strange encounter with Mr. Defiant. Had I fought him, would I have ended up on the side of the road dead for someone to find in the morning? Is he really a monster, a werewolf, or a demon who is merely playing with me like a toy?
With all these things cluttering my thoughts, I don’t notice when Kelly walks up behind me. Hearing footsteps finally, I quickly turn around with my fists raised, ready for a fight.
“No!” Kelly exclaims as she dodges my punch just in time.
Almost falling to the floor, she recovers as I focus on her face and realize who she is. “Oh no. Are you alright?” I cry out in shock as I reach out to her.
As soon as she shakes herself, she smiles softly and then states in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, “Boy, those boxing classes sure did pay off, didn’t they?” before giggling.
Stepping closer, I take her in my arms and then beg softly, “Please forgive me. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn’t and that was the problem.”
Frowning, I feel bad enough as it is and then now this. Why did she have to pop in just when I am rehashing last night’s events and feeling like I want to fight? Is there any worse timing?
Sure, she may think it is funny, but I almost decked my best friend. Turning to look at her, I ask regretfully, “How was last night with Jonathan?”
Freeing herself from my arms, she sits down and stares at me as I do the same, then she clears her throat before replying hesitantly, “It was interesting, especially when you left with that hot guy Alexander and never came back. To be honest, I thought that guy was going to kidnap you and I would never see you again.”
She lowers her eyes to Emily who has jumped up on my lap and is now purring loudly before she continues while scooting to the front of her seat. “So, what’s the deal with him? Did you two fuck or what? He seemed really into you and so intense. Did you get a look at his golden eyes? Wow, gorgeous.”
Knowing that if I tell her everything, she will think I am insane, I calmly answer her questions one at a time. “He is intense, yes and we did. It was really hot, and he does have the most beautiful eyes of any man I have ever met. However, now he is demanding to see me again and is so domineering that I don’t know if I can take much more of this. I mean, there is a part of me who just wants to tell him to fuck off, but the other part wants him to scoop me up and tell me that he loves me. Then there is the fact that he is demanding I move in with him in a few days. I don’t much care for that or know what it is all about. He didn’t go into much detail regarding it.”
“What?” She asks slowly as she draws out the word and I watch as her blue eyes become the size of saucers.
“What the hell?” She asks in shock as she cocks her head and looks as if she is dreaming while wildly blinking to clear her eyes.
Swallowing hard, she adds hesitantly, “Don’t tell me that my best friend is running off with a dream man? I don’t know if I can handle that.”
Before I ever get to say another word, I feel her fingers wrap around my wrist as she asks worriedly, “But what about your birthday? I know you told me you didn’t want me doing anything for your birthday, but you only turn 29 once. Next year you will be 30 and we just won’t ever talk about that.”
Looking as if she has just said the unforgivable, she puckers and then sighs before frowning while she stares at me disapprovingly. “We must do something tonight for your birthday. Please.” She says before begging and giving me her best pouting face.
Cocking her head, she stares at me as I try to figure out what I should do. I am damned if I do and damned if I don’t. So, what the hell.
Opening my mouth, I am just about to say, “Sure.” when I hear my phone ring and the screen lights up.
“Ugh, of course.” I murmur under my breath as I look over and see Alexander’s contact info on the screen.
What I read next though irritates me beyond belief and raises my blood pressure through the roof. “Ana, I am coming over. Are you home?”
When Kelly glances at the message she looks up into my eyes and then asks hesitantly, “He acts as if he owns you already? What is his problem?”
“He is about to find out that I am going to be the biggest pain in his ass if he doesn’t leave me alone for a few fucking hours!” I exclaim as I pick up my phone and get ready to chuck it across the room.
Grabbing ahold of it quickly, Kelly stops me before I do and changes the subject so I don’t do something I will regret later. In the meantime, Emily jumps off my lap and runs to her bed in the corner. One eye on me constantly as she begins to lick her paw slowly.
“So, did you call Mr. Connelly yet?” She asks quickly with a worried look in her eyes.
Glancing up at the clock, I yell, “Shit!” because I am supposed to call in two hours before work and it is now about an hour.
I haven’t even showered or gotten ready for my doctor’s appointment, let alone called in work so they can find a temp to fill my position. While rubbing my leg where Emily’s nails dug in, I remember when I started the secretarial job at Jefferson and Jefferson Law Offices 8 years ago. I felt so lucky to be fortunate enough that I got an interview, let alone the position. However, when I found out that Mr. Jefferson wanted me to do far more than what was stated on the job application, I quickly made sure that we were never alone.
When Mr. Connelly came to work for the company, I became his secretary and suddenly I felt much more comfortable because he had a wife and three little children. He wouldn’t want to carry on with me in the background, or at least I hoped he wouldn’t, but I soon found out that I was wrong.
Taking the phone and dialing the office number, I hold my breath for a second before I hit the send button and hear the familiar ringing. When Mr. Connelly picks up and I hear his voice stating, “It is too late to call in.” I know that I will be in trouble as soon as I tell him, even though I have been with the company for years on end.
Dreading the conversation, I finally speak up and clearly state, “Mr. Connelly, I won’t be in today. I had forgot to tell you on Friday that I have a doctor’s appointment today that I can’t get out of. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I need to go. I will be back in tomorrow. Thank you.”
Not even giving him a moment to think about it, I end the call and then turn to Kelly who by now is staring at me within 5 inches of my face. She has a peculiar little smile on her face as she begins to speak, “So, you never did tell me how good the hot sex was. Spill.”
Shaking my head, I state hesitantly, “If you really want to know. Let me catch a shower and then as soon as I get back from the doctor’s, I will tell you everything you want to know, right down to how big his gigantic dick is. Alright?”
While standing up, I look around the room and then see that Emily’s water bowl is still full. Feeling a bit better about this whole situation, I glance back to Kelly and then ask again, “Alright?” as if I was talking to a child.
Nodding, she stands up and then follows me to the front door before she finally says quickly, “By the way, while you are at the doctor’s office, think about where you want to go tonight.”
“Fine.” I answer absentmindedly as I begin to think about everything I must do today.
After taking a nice steaming hot shower, I reach for the towel on the rack next to me, only to be completely surprised when I hear Alexander’s booming voice declare, “I got this.”It scares me so much that I jump and then lose my footing as I slide across the white tub floor. Grasping for the plastic sunflower shower curtain quickly, I cry out, “No!” before I rip it right off its hooks.This was the only thing between the two of us. At least now I am covered by the curtain and not naked in front of him, even though I must have hit my head on the edge of the tub, because now I am becoming dizzier by the second. As I lay there stunned for the moment, I don’t even question why he is standing in my bathroom. Or how he got in. Instead, I fight to keep my eyes open as he unwraps me gently and then picks me up effortlessly in his strong arms. Carrying me out of the bathroom, he glances down at me as he hesitates at the door and then asks thoughtfully, “Where is your bedroom, I need to
As soon as we arrive at Dr. Franklin’s office, the driver kindly pulls up to the front entrance and lets me out. Right before he opens the door, Alexander wraps his fingers around my wrist and points at the only available spot before stating flatly, “We will be parked right down there when you get out.”Nodding, I fake a smile and then make my way to the doctor’s office just in time for my appointment. When I open the door and see several others sitting there waiting as well, I swallow hard and sigh before walking up to the desk and announcing my presence. “Hello, how may I help you?” A woman asks with a kind smile on her face as she slides the glass window open and stares at me expectantly. Clearing my throat, I answer softly so no one else can hear, “My name is Anastasia Smith and I have a 10 o’clock appointment for my annual.” Cocking her head, she glances up at me and asks professionally, “Are there any changes we need to know about that the doctor should address?”I stand th
“Come on. Let me show you our home before I must take you back.” He adds as he leads me out the doors and down the street. At the end of the road, we walk up to a beautiful older home. It is painted white with royal blue trim round the windowpanes. The front door looks to be made from hardwood and has a finely crafted brass wolf head handle. The moment he opens the door, I gasp at the entry way with its gorgeous carved statues and the beautiful red roses in a big thick glass vase. “You don’t like it?” He asks with concern in his voice and a furrowed brow as he wraps his arms around my waist and gazes into my eyes.Smiling, I yell, “No silly, I love it.”As soon as he hears this, he lowers his head and crushes his lips against mine before he devours my mouth and scoops me up in his arms. However, as he does this, it begins to make me feel lightheaded, so I place my hands on his chest. Fighting to gasp for air, I push myself away from him and then stop to glare.“You must stop d
As he grabs his things and begins to get dressed a few minutes later, I follow suit while I watch him slip into his clothes. “This is definitely a man who knows no bounds.” I think to myself while admiring him. Not only is he the strongest man I have ever met, but he is also more intelligent than I originally gave him credit for. “Are you almost ready?” He asks quietly a few minutes later as he walks back over to the window and stares out at the rain.For some reason he sounds tired and preoccupied. Perhaps, it is because he is worried about his clan and those he has lost today. As I walk over to his side, I find myself wondering where werewolves go when they die. Do they just disappear? Or do their spirits go back to another body for the cycle to begin again? Remembering something from an old folk lore tale that my mother once read to me, I recite a poem in my head that she sang to me right before bed one night as a small child. “Lay me down in a field of flowersLay me down
Standing there, I swallow hard when I feel a pair of hands slither around my waist and hot breath on the back of my bare neck. Feeling a rock-hard cock press against my spine, I dare to turn around and stare a man down in his late 20’s with blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes. However, when he leans down and kisses me softly on the lips, I feel a sudden rush. Especially when he releases me only to ask, “Would you mind if I ask you to dance? You are gorgeous and I can’t stop thinking that we would be so good together.”This is exactly the thing I need to get my mind off Alexander tonight. “Happy birthday to me.” I murmur under my breath before glancing at Kelly and smiling. She winks at me knowingly and then waves me off before saying reassuringly, “Go. I will hold down the fort. Go have the time of your life.”Taking my hand, he leads me out to the dance floor, just like Alexander did. “What the fuck?” I ask myself because I realize that everything reminds me of him.As we reac
When we arrive, I watch the houses as we slowly drive by them and all the people as they stare at the passing vehicle. As the car stops, I feel a wave of nausea overcome me because I sense that something is not right here. Too late, do I turn to Alexander as he steps out of the car and then sighs before asking, “Are you coming or not?” with an angry look in his eyes.I can already tell that whatever is about to happen, is not a good thing by the way he grabs my hand roughly and then pulls me out of the car when I edge towards the door. Swallowing hard, I furrow my brow the moment he practically lifts me off the ground. A second later, I find myself rushing as I follow behind him, barely keeping up even though I am walking as fast as I can. When we arrive at the doors to the hospital, I am gasping for air as he stares at me in disapproval. “I must do this first.” He announces while opening the doors and waving me in to go before him.The moment I walk inside, I notice that the ai
Seeing a woman walk towards me, I try to clear the sleep from my eyes because I feel like I am in a dream. As I stand there, I could swear that she is my twin, but she is wearing that same long red velvet dress with a corset and her hair is much longer than mine is. For some reason, she doesn’t notice me standing there, staring at her, as she walks by and then asks a tall man who is standing in the shadows something quietly. This whole thing unnerves me because I feel the same sense of déjà vu that I did the moment that Alexander’s eyes and mine met that night in the club. “Are you alright, my dearest?” She asks the tall stranger before he turns around and I see a man who could be the spitting image of Alexander, but perhaps ten years older.He has crow’s feet forming in the corners of his eyes and a hint of white hair peeking out from his crown as he leans down to kiss her softly and then says sweetly, “Yes, my love. Hearing the door open quickly, I turn to see a small child of
“So, are you taking me home?” I ask hesitantly because I am preparing myself for the let down when he says that he is.“Yes, I am. Right now, you should be safe enough. Frankly, I am surprised that they found you. Not only have I masked my scent on you, but I made sure that when we dropped you off, they couldn’t track you. Matter of fact, that is precisely why we did what we did.” He says in a matter-of-fact tone of voice before looking out the window.Cocking my head, I think about this for a minute before I ask slowly, “What exactly do you mean by that?”When he returns his attention to me, he has a funny look on his face as if he knows a secret and he isn’t telling. After clearing his throat, he confesses everything quickly, “Well, it means that I planned all this to protect you. I knew that I couldn’t be watching over you while I went after the Alpha of the other pack. The safest place for you at that moment was your house because they were not supposed to know about it or