by TK Lawyer
She stared at him in shock. “This is unnatural.”
Tamara swiveled on her heel and proceeded to the front door only to find Nightfall’s body barricading her once more. “You can’t be doing this, Nightfall. You’re a dog.”
I’m not.
“You’ve said that before, but I don’t understand. I see a dog in front of me.”
No, I’m a gray wolf.
“Oh, God.” She stumbled back several steps. “You’re scaring me, Nightfall. You’re supposed to be a German Shepherd.”
Nightfall snorted. Do I look like a German Shepherd to you?
A brief, awkward silence ensued before he spoke, again.
I’m a wolf. You know that.
She backed up to the nearest wall and opened her mouth to speak, but only raspy breathing tumbled out. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and tried again. “What do you want from me?”
I want your love.
“But, I do love you,” she replied with a hint of a smile and a crinkle of her nose.
Not in the way I want you to.
Tamara gasped. She turned slightly away, hesitantly, trying to avoid any confrontation with him. She searched her immediate area for a weapon or anything to protect herself with. Her dog, wolf, whatever he was, had lost it. She had no idea what he wanted from her, but what she gave him didn’t seem to be enough. If he expected her to have a deeper connection with a wolf, he was nuts. Finding an umbrella off to one side of the hallway, she slowly backed toward it.
You don’t want to do that. I’m quicker than you.
Tamara’s fear intensified and threatened to burst through her blood-filled veins. She trembled as she ran through possible scenarios to escape captivity. Yet, she came up with nothing.
Nightfall’s hard stare softened. My darling, I won’t ever harm you.
“What you’re asking me to do, I can’t. I can love you as my pet, but I can’t do anything else if that’s what you’re seeking.”
There was a moment of strained silence as they stared at each other.
“If that’s what you need, Nightfall, I suggest you go elsewhere and find what you’re looking for. Please…I can’t give that to you. It’s unnatural. It’s unlawful. I won’t go there, but I think others might.”
He hung his head low for what seemed like an eternity before he stepped back from the door. Go on your date. I won’t get in your way. But before you go, please tell me where you’ll be, so I don’t worry about you.
“I’ll be fine, but if it makes you feel better, I’m meeting Keith at Club Gene. I’ll only be gone a few hours.”
She turned toward the door but then hesitated. Stooping down to look at him, she ran her fingers through his think fur and said softly, “We should talk when I return, okay? I love you.”
He only nodded.
Tamara watched him while chewing on her lower lip, unsure if abandoning him was the right thing to do. It seemed wrong to leave things hanging between them. Yet, she didn’t know what else to do. Keith was, likely, waiting for her and Nightfall…was just a dog. She reached for the doorknob, turned it, and locked the door behind her with a sad sigh.
***
Tamara’s heels click-clacked up the cobblestone pathway toward the grand doors. She nodded at the door attendant as she stood off to one side of a wide arch. While she waited for Keith, she spread her peacock print, fringed shawl across her bare shoulders and shivered. The temperature was especially cool tonight, and her clothes weren’t created for warmth.
Several minutes later, Keith pulled his car under the awning and tossed his keys to the valet. He slicked back his hair and then whistled long and low as he approached her. “Look at you, Babe. You’re smoking hot.”
He perused her from head to toe, pulled her in for a long hug, and crushed her body within his large arms.
Keith leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “Are you my date? How’d I get so lucky?” Stepping back, he winked at her and grinned, displaying perfect white teeth.
Tamara tilted her head and smiled. “You’re too sweet. Thank you.”
“No, thank you.”
She reached out for his arm, but Keith stopped her.
“Wait, I gotta check you out first.” He walked around her, stopped, gyrated and whistled his approval before coming back around and offered the crook of his arm. “Mm, mm, mm, girl, I like what I see. Ready to go inside?”
They strolled in past the glass etched double doors.
Music pounded, and lights flashed and swirled around them. Blue and white strobe lights lit up the dance floor, streaming color across the faces of the patrons strewn sporadically throughout the club. Tamara scanned the area, trying to find empty chairs or a near-empty table. Finding two seats together proved to be more difficult than she imagined. She watched as Keith strode swiftly over toward a young man sitting alone on one side of a high table. He exchanged a few words with him, and, shortly afterward, the man left. Keith crooked a finger and beckoned her with a tilt of his chin. He patted the empty chair next to him.
Her jaw gaped and she whispered, “What did you say to him?”
“I told him there was a beautiful woman that needed the chair more than he did.”
Her lips formed an O. “And he left? Oh… you’re good.”
Keith gleamed with pride, saying, “Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
He leaned back against the tabletop and looked straight ahead at the couples on the dance floor. He turned to Tamara and showered her with a lazy, confident smile.
“So Babe, you want a drink, or you wanna dance?”
“I don’t drink.”
Keith burst out laughing. “You’re kidding, right?”
Tamara frowned. “No, Keith, I’m not. I don’t like the taste of alcohol. Never did.” She lifted her chin defiantly and added, “I don’t consume anything I don’t like the taste of. I know for some men that’s a deal-breaker, so if it is for you, I’m sorry. You can leave now if you want. I won’t hold it against you.”
He waved his hands up into the air and chuckled. “Okay, okay, it’s not a big deal. I get it. You don’t consume anything you don’t like the taste of.” He winked. “I get it.”
Tamara glanced across Keith’s long, lean back as he left to grab their drinks. Although he laughed at her honesty regarding her preference of beverages, he remained a truly handsome fellow and one she’d like to get to know better. Maybe he wouldn’t be like the others, the ones who disappointed and ridiculed her.
She leaned onto her elbows and people-watched, switching between the front entrance and the dance floor fascinated with the interaction of those she found in both areas. Several scantily clad women walked through the front entrance, some by themselves though most, in groups of various sizes. She continued watching the entrance, entranced by the colorful array of personalities when she spotted a handsome, well-dressed man who seemed familiar somehow.
He walked through the double doors sporting a solid, aqua blue shirt and dark colored pants. She watched him a bit longer but couldn’t place him. If only she could get a better look at his face then she’d remember. When a scantily clad female approached him, Tamara looked the other way, a sweet smile playing at her lips. Even if the handsome stranger was single when he came in, he wouldn’t be for long. The club was filled with women and any single men seemed to be scooped up the minute they walked into the club. Yet, she didn’t have to worry for Keith was her date, tonight.
Ordinarily, she’d sit back and observe the crowd, amused by the easiness others seemed to have when it came to approaching the opposite sex. Tamara never had that ability, preferring blending into the background or taking on the job description of wallflower versus aggressively pursuing anyone.
Tamara stared at the tabletop, strumming her fingers along the edge when a shadowy figure clouded a bit of the lighting streaming from the stage.
Keith’s eyebrows lifted as he placed a drink by her arm. “Hey. You okay? You must’ve been concentratin
g hard on something.”
Tamara smiled and then giggled. “You’re right. Don’t know where my head was. Thanks for the drink.”
Her gaze averted and she peered across Keith’s shoulder to glance upon the stranger once more. This time, a new woman was sitting next to him—a blonde. Tamara was still trying to figure out if she knew him from somewhere. Yet, his back was to her, so it was impossible to tell.
She took a sip of her drink and peered down through the tawny colored liquid before placing her glass back onto the table. She and Keith chatted for a bit until curiosity grabbed ahold of her. She took one last peek at the stranger when she found him shaking his head at the blonde, on the barstool next to him.
She widened her eyes and gasped when he, suddenly, swung his head in her direction and smiled. He did look familiar. Could it be…? No… no, it couldn’t be…
Then his smile widened into a full grin.
Josh?!
It was impossible. What was he doing at the club? Maybe looking for his date. Yeah. That was it. Tamara glanced around her trying to figure out who the lucky gal was but discovered no one in her immediate area.
Who’s he grinning at? Tamara wondered. It couldn’t be her.
She snuck a glance and found him now staring at the man beside her, his grin replaced by a frown. Something changed in his eyes, the hue seeming darker, somehow. Abruptly, his gaze returned to her, and the darkness lifted, replaced by a sly grin. He slipped off the barstool and headed in her direction.
Tamara sat up straight in her chair. Her heartbeats kicking into overdrive, she tried to figure out what to do during the narrowing window of time available to her. It had been a year and she didn’t know what to say. Being around Josh always made her tongue-tied somehow and now she was out on a date.
She ducked behind Keith and stifled a girlish giggle. She didn’t know why in the hell she was nervous and excited at the same time. Maybe because seeing his handsome face was unexpected and she forgot how nice looking he was. Plus, she figured after receiving two recent gifts from the guy, he must still harbor an interest in her. Regardless, she had to summon her remaining confidence to the surface to at least thank him for the gifts. Then she could figure out what to do with the strange situation she found herself in and introduce Keith.
Before she could plan her next move, Keith made it for her, saying, “Let’s dance.”
Keith pulled her off the barstool before she had the chance to check her footing. She tipped off the edge of the chair and then steadied herself on her heels with a marked frown when Keith didn’t bother to check on her. Too busy sliding out onto the dance floor, she followed him into the crowd, wondering if Josh would wait for her to come back to thank him properly for the sweet gifts he sent to her. Or would he disappear through the front doors as easily as he had come through them before, leaving her no way to contact him?
- CHAPTER TEN -
Tamara swayed sensuously to the music and lifted her arms overhead with the continuous beat.
She swung her hips hard, releasing pent up energy while also trying to project a sensual image to Keith. The room was packed with men of various heights, ages, and sizes. Some of them were even good-looking. Like Keith…who was dancing some combined version of the disco and the robot. She stopped moving and slapped a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter from flowing straight into Keith’s ears. The man was handsome, but boy, he couldn’t dance.
As the beat intensified, Tamara moved faster, her breasts bobbing with her movement. She shifted her head and shoulders, her eyes sliding past Keith to focus on the color changing lights surrounding them.
She lifted her hand to her head to swipe off random beads of sweat. Either the temperature had gone up in the room or the heat beaming off the electrical fixtures were too intense. She glanced at Keith off to one side of her, dancing to his own strange tune and paying no attention. Apparently, the uncomfortable temperature surrounding them didn’t bother him. Maybe it was the drink she had earlier? She recalled some warning about not drinking on an empty stomach and she hadn’t eaten in a while. Tamara lifted her hair up loosely atop her head while she swayed her hips in an exaggerated circular motion hoping she’d whip up a mini tornado of cool air to ease her. Of course, she knew moving more wouldn’t make things easier but the idea of a cyclone in the middle of the dance floor had her giggling with the absurdity.
Despite how hot it was, Tamara didn’t want to stop dancing. She loved the freedom of movement and the current song was one of her favorites. She pressed on, planning to take a break after the song was done.
She planted her hands on her hips, rotating them side to side until an extra heat source seared intimately across her left arm. Tamara slammed her head to her left and came face-to-face with Josh’s amazing grin. Startled, she screamed and fell backward while swift, strong arms pulled her upright from her waist. Josh chuckled as he helped her up.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Tamara responded automatically, grimacing at the context of her words. Was she actually saying it was okay he frightened her? She sighed and did a half eye roll while footsteps quickly approached her.
“Hey! What’s this?” Keith shouted. He laid a protective arm across Tamara’s shoulder and glared at the intruder.
“I was just saying hi to a familiar face,” Josh told him. He held his hand out to Tamara and grinned. “I’m Josh. Remember me?”
A sudden zinging sensation went straight through her as he spoke the name which haunted her memories, vibrating pleasant tingles through her and reminding her of her real attraction to him. She swallowed hard, attempting to compose herself, “Josh… I do remember you. You had a nephew I worked with.”
He snickered. “Still do.”
Keith pulled Tamara toward him. “Well, nice to have met you, Josh, but Tamara and I were dancing.”
She stepped aside and frowned, unclasping Keith’s hand from her arm. “You don’t have to be so rude.”
“Actually, I was going to ask to cut in,” Josh explained with a lazy smile directed at Tamara.
Keith hollered and waved him away. “Well, you can’t, so move it!”
“Keith!” Tamara exclaimed. “What has gotten into you?
He poked a finger at Josh’s chest and slurred. “Listen, Josh, I’m on a date with this fine woman here, and we don’t need a third-string, so bye.”
Keith reached for Tamara’s arm, but she backed away from him and walked off the dance floor amidst onlookers. She decided then and there that if Keith kept up his rude behavior, she wanted no part in it. They weren’t exclusive, and he had no right to behave so possessively.
At the same time, seeing Josh in the club also piqued her curiosity plus pulled up several red flags. Was it coincidental that he showed up at the nightclub? Josh was, strangely and without cause, stepping out of the shadows and back into her life.
Her head was spinning, so Tamara found a chair and sat down—a slim hope lingering in her heart that Josh would follow her. She had several questions, like why was he sending her gifts? And, how did he remember her after much time had passed?
Maybe she should seek him out instead. Tamara hated to lose her opportunity with Josh because of her bad-mannered date. She was supposed to be having fun, but Keith was making her night drama.
Tamara smiled when she spotted Josh approaching. He took the empty chair next to her. “I’m sorry…for Keith, that is. I apologize for his rude behavior.”
“No need.” Josh stared at her, mesmerized. “By the way, you look…” He paused and glanced her over, once more. “Absolutely amazing in that dress.”
She lowered her eyes. After his heartfelt compliment none of her questions seemed important anymore. “Thanks. I’ve been wanting to thank you for the flowers and candy. Oh!” She giggled and covered her mouth with one hand. “That sounds so funny to say out loud, but it was really sweet of you, so thanks.”
He chuckled. “You deser
ve nice things.”
Tamara smiled, feeling a bit uncomfortable sitting next to perfect Josh. It had been a long time. What was he thinking? He almost looked like he was restraining himself, but from what she didn’t know. He moved forward and then retreated like he had changed his mind.
She looked him over. He was extremely handsome as she remembered. If he tried any type of move on her, she’d probably allow it. Actually, she’d likely encourage it.
When a slow song started, Josh reached for her hand. “Shall we?”
She caught the twinkle in his eye and suddenly her cheeks felt hot. “Um, maybe we should wait for the next song,” she responded a bit shyly.
He tugged gently on her hand and smiled in encouragement. “Why? This one’s perfect.”
Tamara shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Um, I don’t know how to slow dance.”
Josh smiled at her candor. “That may be because you’ve never had a decent partner. Come on, just follow my lead.” He tugged gently at her hand. “What’s the worst that could happen? If you look silly, I will too.”
She laughed. “I don’t know. I guess…maybe that would be okay. I’m trusting you.”
His whisper caused pleasant trembles to roll through her spine. “Good. You should always trust me, Tamara.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes. Josh breathed in deeply and then released a sigh before holding her close in a tight, protective hug. It made her feel utterly and blissfully safe. Peering up at him, she noticed his gorgeous, lowered eyelashes and radiant smile. She let her fingers caress over his muscled arms, finding the perfect combination of softness atop strength.
Tamara found him eying her and smiled. To her great pleasure, he smiled back. Josh’s presence was affecting her in ways she hadn’t felt in a long time. She couldn’t deny her intense attraction to him, and this only confirmed for her why she rejected his invitation to date in the first place. She imagined things would get serious with him fast, and that scared her badly.
Suddenly, Keith appeared by her side. He yelled over the crowd. “What’s going on here? I already told you, we’re on a date.”
