Panting and sweating, he kissed her repeatedly, saying, “Thank you, babe. I love you.”
They lay in each other’s arms, basking in the glow of their long-awaited love.
“Will you come to me now Christie? Will you marry me and live here with me forever? Will you raise our children here and teach them our values?”
“I will, Mark. It is time for us to be together. I cannot imagine living without you any longer.”
He snuggled her close.
“Well, then I guess when everyone meets everyone else, we will have to think about our future in earnest. Ya know.” He said, “I would like four kids, a dog, and a cat. The perfect family.”
“You would, huh? Just one thing, Mark. What if our children are more human than bear?”
“Won’t matter to me. They will be ours, and that is all we could ask for.”
“Well, I will need to ask your mother some pertinent questions then. Like how does one have a bear cub?”
“Sure. My mom will help you understand. The cubs, or babies as you call them, will have to be born on the compound just to ensure a safe birth and that no one knows what they truly are if they are werebears.”
“Oh, my lands. It is all so complicated, isn’t it? I mean, potentially being the mother of cubs. I hope my mind can wrap around that idea.” She giggled nervously.
“Not to worry, my love. Christie, you will be the best mother ever. Our life is going to be one adventure after another. I love you, and live for you and our future.”
“Honey, I am cold. Would you please shift into your bear fur and cuddle me?”
Mark quickly shifted, and ended up on his butt in the bed. Then he lay his lumbering huge bear body next to her, putting a paw on her hip. They slept for hours together, human and bear. Sometime later, Christie felt him shift back to human.
“Awe, Honey. I liked feeling your fur on my bare ass.” She giggled. “Get it?”
“Yeah. I get it. You’re a silly woman.” He paused, then said, “Christie?”
“Yes, Mark?”
“Can you make me some Divinity when we get up? I am craving your other white stuff.” They both laughed until he pulled her on top of him and they made love again.
Sated and totally happy, she cuddled under his strong arm.
Christie and Mar k were married in the Fall of that year. Mark had presented Christie with a two-karat solitaire diamond set in a simple gold band. They would have matching gold wedding bands to share with one another.
Standing outside of the house before the ceremony, Mark looked all around. Preparations were finally done, and the yard was full of colorful trees and a few falling leaves. Large bales of hay had been set in rows on the carefully manicured, sprawling lawn, and red bandanas were opened and placed on each bale of hay, so guests could sit on them. Tables were lined up in the driveway in front of the large garage/pole barn piled high with food. Lots of fish, fried chicken, pork, and fruit of all kinds. But the best thing of all was a three-tiered serving dish of Divinity. Tea roses were placed in clear beer bottles and sat on each table at the request of the groom.
The bride wore a white cotton V-neck dress, embellished with seed pearls and crystals made by Mark’s mom. Simple yet elegant. Christie carried a bouquet of light pink crepe myrtle. The groom wore a white cotton shirt with pearl buttons, jeans, and his black cowboy boots.
Martha and Albert, Christie’s mom, Sue, and her sister, Debbie, along with Lacey, Dave, and their newborn son, Emmerick, were all in attendance.
It was a glorious day as the happy couple exchanged vows. They had more than one thing to celebrate, though. Christie had just found out that she and Mark would be parents in the spring. The ultrasound had revealed three embryos. So, when they made the big announcement after the ceremony, cheers from the small gathering brought on tears of joy and happiness. Mark’s mom had a secret smile on her face, because she had been at the ultrasound with Mark and Christie. She saw the telltale signs that all three were bear cubs.
The Ostrander Family
was carved into a sign that hung from the entryway in their home.
Finally, Christie had her Mark, the Mark of her soul, written in the stars.
Forever Her Sweet Indulgence.
Red Velvet Vampire
Darlene Kuncytes
Prologue
“That’s five twent y -five, Lacy,” Constance chimed as she handed me my red velvet cupcake, her infectious grin brightening even this dreary California morning.
I thrust my money at her trying my best to return her cheerfulness, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
My mood was always pretty much in the pisser and required one of my major vices, a red-velvet cupcake, when I had spent the previous evening on the phone with my mother.
Thank God, she was busy with husband number three and only phoned me once in a great while, usually just to reinforce how I could really make something of myself if I only put in a little effort.
Ugh! At twenty-nine years old, and having lived in Hollywood since my father’s death nine years earlier, I really didn’t need to hear how if I only lost the extra ten to fifteen pounds I carried that I would be quite pretty!
Seriously ?
I reminded myself for what had to be the millionth time that I left the Mid-west and basically ran to the West coast not because I was one of those silicone injected starlet wanna-be’s , but because I needed as much distance from my smother’s constant laundry list of how I had disappointed her as I could get.
I was not beautiful…or at least by her definition of beautiful. Nor was I model-thin. I was clumsy, and my mouth often spoke before my brain could ever hope to catch up.
Besides, the ocean was my passion.
Sun, surf and sand. Those are the things that I wanted in my life!
“You’re in early today,” Constance observed as she handed me my change, but I quickly waved it away. “It’s barely seven-fifteen. Everything okay?”
I nodded quickly. “Just the usual,” I replied with a shrug as I pulled the paper from my decadent treat…which smelled like Heaven. I felt my mood actually lifting. “I talked to my mother last night and was forced to listen to her drone on for over an hour about how amazingly happy she is and how I would be too if I would just work on myself a bit.”
Constance chuckled, shaking her head in commiseration. “I hear that,” she laughed. “Doesn’t she realize that you work for one of Hollywood’s top agents?”
I shrugged again, before taking a quick bite of my cupcake.
Yes…I did have a decent job as personal assistant to Hal Steinman, one of Hollywood’s most sought after and brutal agents. The man was a virtual land-shark, but, in this town, that was exactly what a person needed to get anywhere in the business if that’s what they wanted. He was tough, ruthless and didn’t have a decent bone in his body, but, the job paid fairly well…so there was that.
“Hal only hired me because I’m not the dreaded actress type that’s only working a real job until her big break comes along.” I said between bites. “Not to mention that in this town of size zeros, I’m positively enormous and pose no threat of throwing myself at his clients. Or, having them distracted by me .”
Constance was someone who I found myself wishing my mother was more like. She was here because she had needed a change after her husband had passed away, and with no children and a ridicules talent for baking, she had started a new life without looking back.
And, who was I kidding, she had had me at cupcake!
“Don’t let her get to you, honey,” she responded sweetly as she grabbed another red velvet from the case and packaged it up in one of her adorable little boxes that looked like a sparkly handbag. She handed it to me with a wink. “You’ve made yourself a pretty damned fine life out here.”
She was absolutely right on that point.
I did have a pretty damned good life. I had made a few very good friends since my relocation to the Sunshine state.
My smil
e finally made an appearance as my mood lightened even more.
Felix was one of those actress wanna-be’s, but the main difference with her was that she was a really hard worker and as faithful as the day was long. She wasn’t looking for a free ride, or even an easy one. She wanted to earn her way.
And Lance, well he was a flamboyant, loud female impersonator who was as hilarious as he was caring and had a heart of pure gold.
They were both like the sisters I never had.
Yes, I was pretty damned lucky.
“She just has that knack for making me feel like the biggest frump on the planet,” I sighed.
“Lacy, you are beautiful,” she responded with a huff. “You just need to see it.”
Yeah, right.
Someone needed to inform my unruly brown hair of that. Or my ample ass and numerous curves.
I will admit that I did like my eyes. I was lucky enough to inherit a pretty wicked combination of my dad’s amazing azure blue and my mother’s green.
I pushed my sugar-induced thoughts away and tucked my offering from Constance into my bag with the thought that the day was actually beginning to look up.
“Thank you, Constance,” I said with a genuine smile. “I’d better get moving. I don’t want to be late. Hal will have a cow.”
I turned with a wave and dashed from the shop thinking that maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chapter One
The day i n question had started out like any other day over the past nine years. I came into the office at eight, fetched Hal his morning cup of espresso (plain old coffee just wouldn’t due) and started my day.
I was busy typing up contracts when Hal stuck his head out of his office.
“Lacy,” he grumbled, that cigar-smoking rasp of his grating on my nerves as it usually did first thing in the morning.
I liked it so much better when he just stayed in his little cubby and left me the Hell alone.
“We have a potential client coming in at ten,” he barked, his stout, rotund frame filling the doorway.
I glanced up and noticed that his comb-over was a bit askew and hoped that he would have the good sense to check a damn mirror and eradicate the problem before this new client showed up. I just didn’t have the heart, or the desire to tell him that he looked like a demented blow-fish.
“Yes, Sir,” I replied as sweetly as humanly possible, although for some reason, his voice was really irritating that particular morning. Maybe I hadn’t had enough coffee yet… who knew, but it was too much like the sound of cutting Styrofoam.
“Well, you better be on your best behavior with this one,” he growled, as if I was one of those Barbie Doll, silicone injected, fluff chicks that threw themselves at any celebrity that happened to walk through the door.
Really ? Had the past nine years not proven anything ?
Ass!
“Of course, Sir,” I ground out, gnashing my teeth together to the point that my eyes were throbbing. Why did I put up with this crap?
Because, I silently answered myself, it was a damn steady paycheck, with decent benefits that kept a roof over my head and food on my table.
“May I ask who you are expecting?” I asked, and the big tub of goo actually had the nerve to growl at me!
“Jack Dupree,” he stated with a warning scowl, those damn caterpillar eyebrows of his furrowing, and then he scuttled back into his lair without another word.
Freaking, ass-troll!
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm my suddenly frazzled nerves.
Jack Dupree.
Holy, mother-loving shit ! He was the new up and coming “It” boy on the scene. Gorgeous, built…and a damn fine actor to boot!
He was what the papers called “The whole package ” and he was coming here!
I huffed out another breath as I pictured that black-haired, blue eyed, built like a brick shit house, perfect specimen of the male gender, and felt my cheeks grow warm in an instant.
Good God! Of all the actors in Hollywood to be vying to have Hal represent them, why did my one and only wet-dream have to be the flavor of the day?
Damn if life wasn’t just darn cruel sometimes!
Even though I hated myself for it, I stood and dashed off to the bathroom.
Yes, I damn well did!
I grabbed my purse to check my make-up. Okay, I’m not proud of that fact. But, after nine years of dealing with leading men in a total “I don’t fall at your feet in a swoon ” type of way, I was finally going to meet my very own, personal fantasy guy.
So what if I needed to try to make myself look at least a little presentable? I knew that Mr. Sex-on-a-Stick wouldn’t give me the time of day, but for my own peace of mind, I needed to make absolutely sure that I didn’t have any offending mascara eye boogers or anything hanging from my nose.
After carefully checking my minimal makeup in the mirror and satisfied with the fact I didn’t look like Bozo the Clown, I adjusted the silk blouse I wore and nodded at my reflection.
Well, this was as good as it was going to get. At least I didn’t look like a wild she-beast.
I breathed out a sigh of thanks to whatever Gods were looking down on me that day, steering me into choosing the Aqua silk that I wore.
Of all the clothing that I owned, this was my favorite. It was one of the most expensive pieces of clothing I had ever purchased and even I had to admit that I didn’t look half bad in it. Lance had assured me it made my eyes pop when he had talked me into buying it and had insisted that it showed just enough cleavage to still be respectable, but was, as he put it, hawt !
Sometimes, it’s really kind of awesome having my very own gay boyfriend.
I attempted to tame my wild mane of hair but gave up after only a moment.
What was the use?
Felix always swooned over the mess on top of my head, saying that I didn’t know how lucky I was to have such thick, wavy hair, but all I ever saw was something that looked like I had been trudging around in the bush for the past month or so.
I headed back to my desk swearing to myself for all I was worth, that I would not stare at the damn clock hanging on the wall.
An hour and forty-five minutes later, with my eyes burning from doing just what I had promised myself I wouldn’t do, the door to the office opened with a soft whoosh and there he was in all his splendid glory.
Oh, my sweet Lemonade loving Lucifer!
Jack Dupree didn’t just walk through the door and over to my desk.
Oh, no. Not him .
This man freaking glided!
His movements were strong and determined and as sensual as all Hell! I felt the temperature in the room spike about fifty degrees in an instant as he sauntered over to where I sat, most likely with my mouth hanging open.
Holy Hell!
“Mornin,” he drawled, and I swear I just about slid off of my chair into a puddle at his feet.
I had seen him in several of his movies, but I guess he had hidden his smooth, southern drawl.
Damn! He could read the phone book and have woman wetting themselves with that voice!
“I have an appointment with Mr. Steinman at ten.” He glanced up at the clock to see that he still had a few minutes, then back to me, giving me a grin that just about turned my entire body into mush.
And, not the firm, thick mush. Nope…this was liquid mush. The kind you add way too much water to and just hope and pray that it thickens up with time.
Yeah, that kind!
“I was worried about the traffic,” he husked in explanation as if he owed me one. “But, I guess I made it just in time. I hate bein’ late.”
I nodded dumbly, unable to form a single coherent thought. His eyes held mine and it was as if my ability to think or speak had flown right out of the damn window and headed south for the winter.
His were the bluest eyes I had ever seen, and in contrast to his pitch-black hair and long dark lashes, the effect was extraordinary.
> I mean, the man looked damned edible on film, but in person? Wow!
“I…I…I’ll let Mr. Steinman know that you’re here,” I sputtered, feeling like a total and complete ass-hat.
Good grief!
He smiled once again and leaned in a little closer to where I sat, his eyes not leaving mine. “I’m Jack Dupree.” He whispered, and I swear to God his voice sounded like warm honey. That is if warm honey actually had a sound.
As he stared into my eyes all I could think at the moment was…duh ! Honestly, that was my only thought.
As if I wouldn’t know who he was. His gorgeous face was plastered on every damn magazine in print at the moment.
Once again, I nodded like the blithering idiot that I am and tried to clear my throat. “I…um...yes, of course Mr. Dupree, I know.” I finally managed to squeak out, but his next words knocked the air right out of my lungs in a solid whoosh.
“No. I was introducing myself so that you would reciprocate by tellin’ me your name.”
His tone was laced with amusement, but not the kind that was at my expense. It was amusement that I would even think he wouldn’t want to know my name.
But, I mean who would?
I had never had one of Mr. Steinman’s clients care enough to introduce themselves to me before, nor care in the least to know who I was.
I swallowed the gopher that had lodged itself in my throat and tried to plaster on a confident smile. Silently praying that I didn’t look like some demented mental patient out on a day pass.
Sinfully Delicious: Six Scintillating Stories of Sweets, Treats, and Happily Ever Afters Page 10
