Cougar's Victory: Pacific Northwest Cougars: (Shifter Romance)

by Moxie North

  The idea of him sitting in six thousand square feet of loneliness was what had him hunting for and finding his tiny beige box. Lonely was one thing, ostentatious and lonely was another.

  Chapter 5

  Clicking open the email, he found a fairly standard contract. Clearly Victorygurl Designs was not used to working with large companies. The fee scale was like she was giving it away. Dax printed out the contract, signed it and handwrote in an additional bonus of ten thousand dollars if the project was finished within the month. He buzzed out to his receptionist/office manager/cashier and all around girl Friday, Margo, and asked her to run to town and drop off the contract.

  Responding to the email, Dax assured Effie the contracts were on the way and then before he hit the send button thought about who Effie Parks was again. Deleting the message, he picked up the phone and dialed in the number from the website.

  It rang a few times before an angelic voice answered. Shit, did he just think the word angelic?

  “Victorygurl Designs, this is Effie.”

  Clearing his throat, Dax forgot what he was going to say.

  “Hello?” The voice asked.

  “Uh, sorry, this is Dax Hayes,” he managed.

  “Oh! Mr. Hayes, so good to hear from you. Was there a problem with the contracts?” Effie asked. She really hoped this transaction would go smoothly. If he wanted to negotiate price, she was desperate enough to take what he offered.

  “No, they were fine. I did make one adjustment, but I don’t think you will mind. And please, call me Dax. Mr. Hayes makes me feel old,” Dax laughed.

  He certainly didn’t sound old, Effie thought. He sounded sexy and his voice purred over the phone. Yummy.

  “As long as you call me Effie. I’m glad you liked my ideas. You said there were some changes you’d like to make. Do you want to go over them now?”

  “I have a few minutes, sure. I don’t think this will be our only draft. I hope you aren’t one of those uptight artists that don’t like anyone changing your work. This design is going to be on everything as far as our branding goes. Wine bottle labels, T-shirts, and even tote bags. It has to stand the test of time.”

  “Of course not, and no I’m too much of a starving artist to be worried about my art,” Effie laughed. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking,” she encouraged.

  They spent the next fifteen minutes kicking ideas back and forth to each other. Dax was amazed how easy it was to talk to Effie. She was sweet and bubbly and he enjoyed talking to her even if it was all business. His cat seemed content talking to her too. He was a sucker for the ladies.

  “I think we have a great start here, Effie. If I have any other questions, is this the best way to reach you?”

  “Actually if you want to just send me a text if something comes up, that would be best. I don’t always hear my phone and if I’m out I’ll have your questions in writing to refer to later,” she explained.

  “Makes sense, why don’t you text me when you’ve made the changes we talked about?”

  “Will do boss man,” Effie joked. She heard Dax chuckle on the other end. His laugh was nice sounding.

  “Not your boss, just your client. And since we are being friendly, I have to ask. What’s up with the name Effie? I’ve never heard of that name before. Is there a story there?”

  Dax hoped he sounded teasing and not nosey.

  “Oh, there’s a story alright. But every girl has to have a few secrets, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, yes they do,” he laughed. “I find women with secrets are often the ones worth the time to puzzle out,” he said, his voice dropping to a husky tone.

  Hmm, okay, Effie thought. That took a turn she wasn’t expecting.

  “Do you like women with secrets, Dax?”

  Effie couldn’t help but ask. There was something about the way his tone changed that made her girly parts give a tingle.

  There was silence as Dax thought about what may be on the other end of the line. Effie Parks was more interesting than she should be to him for a simple client relationship. But his cat kept pushing him to keep talking to her.

  “I do. I find I run in a circle of women that once you dig a little under the surface you realize they’re empty, nothing but a shell. I prefer a little more substance in a woman. A thinker, a risk taker, someone who is passionate. Whether it’s about what they do or just life in general. Life is too short to waste time on fluff. Besides, I like puzzles, keeps me sharp,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Well call me a Rubik’s cube, cause no one has been able to figure me out,” Effie joked.

  “Is that a challenge, Ms. Parks?”

  Effie was liking this banter, it wasn’t professional, but damn it was fun.

  “I’ll let you take that however you’d like, Mr. Hayes,” she quipped.

  Effie swore she heard a rumbling growl over the phone. Weird.

  Dax’s cat was up and itching to pounce, a challenge had been issued from a female. His cougar wanted to play. Deciding this conversation was getting a little less business more…something else he figured he’d better end it before he suggested something that really would skew their business relationship.

  “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “You too, Dax,” Effie said, then hit the end button. Play time over, she thought.

  She gave a little shiver. Man that guy was like silk when he talked. She’d resisted the urge to keep a little window open on her computer so she could see his picture while she talked to him. It felt a little creeper to her, so she kept her eyes on her work.

  Dax was staring at his phone in his hand. He wanted to hear her voice again. How weird was that? His cat was urging him to call her back for some reason. But he couldn’t think of a good excuse.

  Instead he headed into the warehouse to oversee some installation of new fermentation equipment. The previous owner’s barrel aged their wines, which Dax planned on continuing in small batches. But the majority in the future would be all aged in stainless steel and bottled for the masses. He’d always believed that you could produce an excellent quality of wine without making it unreachable to the average person. Good wine was a gift and Tiger Mountain Winery was going to be a household name.

  Chapter 6

  Effie sat chewing on the edge of her thumb. She’d been working on the changes Dax requested. He’d added a number of options that he wanted her to mock-up. Depending on its use the design needed small tweaks here and there. But her mind kept wandering back to her phone call and that scrumptious voice. She wanted to call him, but couldn’t think of a valid reason.

  Her distraction was also from the contract sitting on her desk. A very nice lady named Margo tracked her down to give her the paperwork. Intending to give it a cursory glance and toss it down, Effie had frozen solid when she spotted the bonus addendum.

  “Did he sign it with an ‘X’ so he won’t be legally obligated to pay?” Cassie asked, laughing while she flipped a grilled cheese on the stove.

  “No, he signed it. He also added if I finish in the month he’s giving me a bonus. There is still three weeks left so I’m not concerned about a deadline. But he must have written this wrong,” she said, dropping to the broke down sofa.

  Cassie leaned over, snatching the contract out of her hand.

  “Holy freaking shit, ten G’s! He wants to give you ten thousand dollars to do the job he’s going to pay you three grand to do anyway? That man is crazy and rich. Or he’s just crazy rich! You better get your cute little booty in gear my friend. We gonna be rollin’ five figures this month! Holla!”

  “Did you just say, holla? Really, Cass?”

  “What? Am I wrong? We could even go out and eat at one of those fancy restaurants where your butt doesn’t stick to the torn vinyl. That would be totally cool,” Cass said, throwing up a pair of devil horns and sticking out her tongue.

  Effie heard her phone’s text message alert. “Whatever!” Cass had been kind enough to sele
ct that sarcastic option and tormented Effie by frequently sending her messages. Reaching for her phone she swiped the screen to check her messages, there was one from a number she didn’t recognize.

  Done yet?

  Who is this?

  Dax Hayes

  Oh, geez she’d told him to text her but she really didn’t think he would do it. And what did he mean by ‘done yet?’ was he joking? Crap, what if he wasn’t joking, she wondered.

  Hello?

  Sorry, didn’t recognize the number

  No problem, just checking in seeing if you had any ?’s

  Um, nope, all good thnx

  Big plans tonight?

  What did he care if she had plans tonight. Maybe he’s just being friendly. Yup, don’t read too much into it, Effie, she thought.

  Not unless you count working on a project for a very demanding new account.

  I might microwave a frozen pizza too.

  Very exciting stuff.

  I’ve been craving pizza.

  Anywhere good in town?

  Good, no. Decent? Sorta

  Red Tomato on Main is as close as you are going to get to Italian food around here.

  Sounds legit lol

  Oh sure it is. Red and white check tablecloths and everything.

  Ah, just like the last time I was in Parma

  Why wasn’t she surprised he’d been to Italy. He was a millionaire. Had probably been all around the world. Effie had never left the great state of Washington. Hell, she’d never even seen the ocean. At least not in person.

  You still there?

  Sorry, had to consult an atlas to find Parma

  Never been to Italy?

  Never been out of the state.

  Shit, she’d never left the state? There was not being well traveled and then there was being stunted. But Dax realized he knew nothing about this person. He wasn’t even sure what convinced him to text her. His cat was meowing loudly and it was bugging him. He could feel his cat’s desire to talk to the girl again so he’d caved. His cat had never steered him too wrong so he went with his gut.

  He didn’t want to come across as a snob, so he racked his brain to recover their conversation.

  Not even Disneyland?

  Nope, no mouse ears for me.

  Maybe I should have offered

  a roundtrip ticket to Disney

  instead of the bonus.

  I’ll take the cash thanks.

  My car may not make it another six months

  I might upgrade to something without Duct tape.

  Duct tape, you’re joking right?

  I never joke about cars.

  Neither do I

  Alright, I’ll let you get back to work

  Don’t want your client upset with you.

  Heaven forbid

  Goodnight

  Dax scanned across his phone and wondered who this Effie Parks was. And why was he thinking about someone he’d never even met?

  Effie smiled as she set her phone down. That was a weird conversation. Was that friendly or flirting? She wasn’t sure. What she was sure of was that Dax Hayes was so far out of her league that they were probably different species.

  Turning back to her computer she figured out where she’d stopped in her work when her phone beeped. A few minutes later she heard someone shouting. Assuming it was a group leaving the restaurant downstairs, she tried to ignore it. When the noise persisted she got up to look out the window. Down on the sidewalk below was Chris. Tall, dark, and handsome in a very rough sort of way, and clearly intoxicated.

  “Effie, you bitch! Let me in!”

  Opening the window she leaned out and shouted back down, “Are you for real? Get lost Chris!”

  “You changed the locks, let me in,” he bellowed.

  “I changed the locks, because I didn’t want you to be able to come up, you moron!”

  “Fuck you! I want to see you!”

  “Well I don’t want to see you. Go home before I call the cops,” she yelled back down. God she really didn’t need this. She was feeling a warm fuzzy after texting with sexy wine man. Now reality came knocking or screaming as the case may be.

  “I need you. Come on baby, you know I miss you. I bet you miss me too!” he said, grabbing a handful of crotch and giving it a tug.

  “You’re disgusting! Trust me, there is not one thing I miss at all. Take your pathetic ass and get lost,” she threw back and shut the window, muffling his angry shouts. She could still hear him yelling and then she heard Mr. Barnes, the diner owner, coming out and shouting at him to shut up. Then Chris telling him to fuck off and after a few more exchanges, it was quiet.

  Effie shot off a text to Cassie letting her know that Chris made an appearance and to keep an eye out on her way home. She texted back that one of the guys offered to drive her home and would make sure she made it to her door safely.

  Settling back to her desk, she stared for a while at the Tiger Mountain Winery logo. It was more than a logo to her. It was an opportunity to a better life. That ten grand could move them into a nicer place. Get Effie a better car. Being able to use the winery as an example of her work would show new clients she was legitimate, the real deal.

  This was Effie’s chance for a different life. She never wanted riches and jewels. She wanted a roof over her head, food in her belly, and a safe life for her and Cassie. Two kids from the system rarely survived without falling into the same bad choices their families had made. Leaving two small kids being dumped into state care with no future ahead of them. Effie wasn’t going to let that happen to either of them. They were strong, smart girls, and she knew one day, they’d have it all.

  Chapter 7

  Dax actually enjoyed the drive out to the Olympic peninsula to visit his sister. He picked a time when traffic would be light and he could enjoy the lush rain forests and cooler breezes the closer he got to the coast.

  He’d made a promise to his mom that he’d visit his sister regularly if he was moving to Washington. At first it had annoyed Dax, but after the second visit he’d started to enjoy his little trips to the coast. Getting to stay at the Rochon family’s main house and have Connie Rochon feed and coddle him was better than a five star resort.

  He’d even become better friends with the Rochon brothers. They had always gotten along, but with his sister mated to Conner Rochon now, they were family. It also helped that Dax no longer wanted to kick Conner in the nuts every time he saw him. He was lucky to be alive in Dax’s opinion.

  That man had broken his little sister’s heart one too many times. In fact the first time he did it, he thought he deserved to be neutered. But his sister assured him that Conner just needed time. He must have gotten his shit figured out, because now he was a groveling mess around his sister. It’s like he was making up for decades of bad deeds.

  The minute he figured out his mate was expecting, he turned into a hovering mother hen. The Rochon men all had either pregnant mates or new cubs and they were completely fixated on their families. So much, they had called in reinforcements in the form of some of their cousins that ran the lumber mill side of the family business. Dax had met their cousin Cash on his last visit, not a bad guy and he had serious feelings about family loyalty.

  He was looking forward to this weekend and even more was looking forward to teasing his sister about how big she was getting. A dangerous but fun game when you had five grumpy bears and one pissed off cougar all growling at him. He liked to live dangerously.

  Effie hadn’t heard from Dax at all during the weekend. Not that she expected him to be sending her texts about what the Real Housewives were up to, but some kind of contact would have been nice. Maybe she’d misinterpreted his texts. Maybe they weren’t flirty at all?

  She’d finished up the changes he’d requested and turned in a few online jobs that had come through in the past week. Now she was bored. Deciding being trapped in the stuffy apartment didn’t sound appealing. Effie peeked out the window to make sure Chris the creep wasn�
��t waiting for her outside.

  She’d seen him a few times across the street looking at her window. She didn’t want to call the police because the police in her town really didn’t think domestic disputes were worth their time. And she was afraid most of them still knew who her mother was and would judge her for her mother’s actions. Elvira Buckley was one of the town’s more notorious criminals.

  A little extra caution to avoid a run-in was a good idea. Calling ahead to the tattoo parlor to let Cassie know she was coming, Effie headed out.

  She could have walked, but felt safer in her car, even if poor old Betty was on her last legs or wheels as it were. Not hearing from Chris for so long then having him start showing serious stalker tendencies was not in her comfort zone.

  Pulling up to the tattoo shop she saw Cassie waving from the front desk. As she entered, she got a chorus of greetings from the guys working. She knew their piercer Lila was in the back somewhere. Effie liked her ink, but never had an urge to poke holes in her body.

  “My main squeeze! What’s shaking baby?” Cass greeted.

  “The usual. Avoiding weirdo ex-boyfriends. Finishing up the revisions to my biggest account. Now I’m starving,” Effie informed

  “Don’t forget checking your phone every few minutes for new texts from Mr. Handsome Pants,” Cassie teased.

  “Is that what we are calling him now? Last night he was Studly McStudson.”

  “Yes well, it’s an evolving process. I’ll settle on something eventually,” Cassie smiled wickedly.

  “Awesome,” Effie said sarcastically, as she flopped down on the couch in the lobby.

  She stared up at the flashes on the walls. The shop had them nicely framed. Not like some of the seedier places that had them laminated and taped to the walls. Here even the flashes were custom. At least they were when the employees drew them. They were their interpretation of classics. Anchors and butterflies abounded. But they all had a twist to them. Effie had the jones for some more ink, but hadn’t settled on anything.