ROMANCE: The Bad Boy Meeting

by Kevin, Amanda

  The pleasure began to fill her body and her toes curled as she buried her face in his chest, holding him tightly as she sunk her teeth into his skin to muffle her cries as she came hard. The world went black and she felt him filling her to the brim. It was all she was aware of.

  She could hear him panting her name but it sounded far away. Rachel’s head was swimming and she couldn’t even hold her body up anymore. She collapsed on top of him, panting and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

  Her body tremored and she felt her eyes growing heavy as the aftershocks of her orgasm coursed through her. She finally gave into sleep, her body casually draped across his. She didn’t even notice when he picked her up and carried her to his bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead before crawling in with her.

  ***

  When she woke up, she was surprised to find Keith’s arm draped over her body. She gasped softly and shot up, her head spinning. She’d moved way too fast and suddenly felt nauseated. She managed to keep dinner from the night before down, but still stumbled out of the bed and into the shower.

  What in the world had she let happen?

  The warm shower cleared her mind a bit and when she stepped out, wrapped in a towel, Keith was also awake. He was standing on the opposite side of the bed, putting his leg through a pair of jeans.

  His acute hearing picked up on the sound of the bathroom door opening and he turned his head, smiling a little, “Oh, morning.”

  She waved at him and walked a little closer, tucking some of the longer pieces of her short hair out of her face, “Morning…”

  Keith wasn’t sure what to say and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. He searched for words but only came up with a piss poor excuse of a conversation starter, “Maybe we shouldn’t have wine at these meetings? Seems to distract us.” He murmured.

  She nodded and laughed nervously, “Yeah...Seems so... “

  There was an awkward silence as Rachel shifted, looking at the door to the living room. “So, my clothes are out there?”

  “Uh, yeah...Should be.”

  “Okay...I’m going to get dressed and head home.” She started towards the door but paused at the door frame, her hand resting on it.

  She looked back at Keith for a moment and chewed her lip, “Maybe we could have another dinner and wine date after this mission?” She offered

  Keith was surprised at the way he smiled so readily. “Yeah, that would be nice.

  A grin spread across her face and he thought he’d never see her look that happy again. She darted out of the bedroom and dressed hurriedly so that she could get home and feed Cleo. The fat little dog was probably pissed at her but she was too happy to care.

  Chapter Seven

  As promised, there hadn’t had any more wine dates, but their meetings were far less stressed. They got along better and their professional chemistry even improved. Both of them seemed eager to get back on track after they busted Robert. They knew that any and all feelings had to be put aside until this asshole was brought to justice. Right now it was all professional.

  Keith was still a little nervous about opening up to someone again, but he realized he had to stop comparing every woman he ever met to Anne Marie. Rachel was nothing like her. Rachel was a strong woman who could handle a lot more than his sheltered Anne Marie. It gave him some hope, though he couldn’t really think about that now.

  As the party loomed closer, they spent more and more time together, getting used to playing husband and wife. It was for a very serious purpose, but Rachel couldn’t help but think that it was a little fun. You had to find joy in your job, right?

  She knew it was dangerous but she didn’t seem to have the same understanding of the danger as Keith. He got a bit jittery as they got closer and closer to the night of the party. He made her recite her profile to him until they both had black spots in their vision from exhaustion. He couldn’t help but feel that something was going to happen.

  The night finally came and Keith pulled up to Rachel’s apartment in a Rolls Royce that the department rented for them. If they were going to play the part of rich foreigners, they were going to have to look it.

  Keith had to pick his jaw up off the floor when Rachel came bounding down the stairs dressed in a long purple evening gown. She’d been given a long brown wig to wear to disguise herself further. It was also the first time that Keith had seen her with make-up on. Her skin glowed and the curls of her hair bounced as she settled in the seat.

  He just stared at her for a long moment before she reached her hand out and snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hello? You okay?” She asked.

  Keith had been dressed in an expensive tux. He was shaved much cleaner than normal and she couldn’t help but think that he looked rather dapper. Keith cleared his throat a little “Uh, yeah. You just...You look really good, Rachel.” He whispered, smiling.

  She blushed and patted his knee, “You look great too. We should get going. We’re already running late.”

  Rachel had a point. He pulled out of her apartment and took off down the road, making his way through the city’s traffic. He was always impressed that They reached the hotel and he handed his keys over to the valet, taking in the impressive structure. It wasn’t a very big hotel but it was beautiful. According to the blueprints they’d been given it had about a hundred rooms, a large ballroom, kitchen and library. There were other amenities but those were the ones they would need to know about.

  Their job was to get Robert out of the main ballroom and to the roof quietly, so that they could be picked up by an air team. it was a risky strategy but it was what had to be done. If they could pull this off then this would be what made their career.

  They were led through the main doors and to a grand ballroom where music was being played. It was instrumental but it wasn’t classical. It was closer to big band music than anything. They each picked up a glass of champagne on their way in and nodded towards each other. They’d decided it would be easier to find Robert if they split up. Some would have called it a dumb move, but Rachel called it efficient.

  Rachel took the left side of the room, casually chatting people up and turning her charm up a notch. Everyone was enchanted by her and that Included Mr. Cohen, who was watching her curiously from across the room.

  His beady eyes were trained on her and he wiped his sweating, fat face with a dirty rag before tucking it away in his pocket. He didn’t know who she was. Her face was unfamiliar, but then again he’d invited a lot people he didn’t usually invite to this party. He was trying to build up his political influence, so he’d invited everyone from the attorney general to senators and everyone in between.

  No one seemed to bat a n eyelash at the tables of cocaine and pills that had been laid out. The well-to-do of society were partaking with gusto. People seemed to think that drugs were only a problem in poor neighborhoods but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It all depended on what particular drug you were talking about.

  Rachel was entertaining a handsome gentleman, whose name she’d failed to get. She didn’t care about meeting these people or getting to know them. All she cared about was finding out who Robert was and she was going to get her wish soon enough.

  She was trying to end the conversation with the drunken man who approached her, when a look of fear came across his face. Rachel looked over her shoulder and noticed the sweaty pig of a man standing behind her. She took a step back, frowning at him.

  He took her hand and brought it to lips, kissing it sloppily. It took quite a bit of energy to hold her composure. She was glad she did, though, since the first words out of his mouth confirmed his identity.

  “Welcome, beautiful. My name is Robert Cohen. What should I call you?”

  Chapter Eight

  She managed to swallow her disgust and smiled at him, putting the charm back on, “Mr. Cohen? Oh, I’ve heard so much about you! You can call me Marie.” Her excitement was only half fake.

  She was more than thrilled t
o have found the man, but had no way of flagging her partner down without making a scene. The round man smirked and held onto Rachel’s hand, murmuring her name between pants. His face was red and he was clearly struggling to breath.

  The department didn’t have much personal information about Robert, so she had been unsure of his appearance. They had been prepared to take down a man who was Keith’s size or even bigger. This was going to be a breeze. Robert was clearly in poor health. She had to be careful, though. She didn’t know how many eyes were on her and judging by Robert’s status, the answer was a lot.

  He smiled and ran his fingers along a strand of her hair. making her shudder. He hummed softly and took in a labored breath, “You are certainly beautiful, Marie.” He murmured.

  Her eyes darted around the room, trying to find Keith. She needed to know that the other man could see her. Fear filled her when she realized he wasn’t within her sight and she took an instinctive step back from Robert, trying to come up with some excuse to get away from the foul man.

  “I need to use the restroom.” She whispered.

  The look on his face when he smiled at her was full of malice and she had to fight to keep herself together. She wasn’t used to being in situations where she couldn’t act freely. She had to stay under the radar to avoid any suspicion and it left her feeling defenseless.

  Robert swept his arm out and pointed her in the direction of the nearest bathrooms. “They are right down that hall, dear. Don’t let me keep you.”

  Rachel nodded and turned to leave the room, struggling to walk calmly. When she walked through the double doors she let out the breath she’d been holding and took out her cell phone to text Keith. He had to know that Robert was in the room.

  She was about to hit send when a large man in a dark suit and sunglasses snuck up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and clamped a hand over her mouth so that when she screamed it was nothing more than a muffled attempt.

  He dragged her down the hall easily, despite the fact that she was kicking and screaming, clawing at his hand with her short nails. He had her in a position that made it impossible for her to fight. No matter how much she twisted and turned she was caught in the man’s grasp.

  The unnamed man in the suit dragged her to one of the suites on the top floor and didn’t even seem fazed by her attempts to get away. He was much larger than her and could have easily thrown her over his shoulder.

  He tossed her into the suite and closed the doors with a loud slam, the lock clicking closed from the other side. Rachel screamed and launched herself at the door, throwing her entire weight against it. The door was thick and didn’t budge no matter how many times she threw herself against it.

  She sobbed as panic started to give way, realizing that she’d dropped her phone in the hall when she’d been grabbed. Between heaving breaths, she heard a familiar labored breathing and turned around to see Robert standing in the doorway that separated the two bedrooms of the suite. He had abandoned his Jacket somewhere as well as his tie and was eyeing her with a hungry look that sent dread coursing through her.

  “Now, Marie. We can make this easy or we can make this hard.” he whispered.

  Two large man came out from behind the door, crossing their hands behind their backs. When Rachel turned to run towards the bathroom, they were on her in a flash, holding her arms back. One yanked the wig and the hair fell to the floor, leaving Robert a little shocked. He laughed and shook his head, stepping forward and running his fat finger along her smooth, pale skin.

  “What a dumb girl. Buying fake hair.” He muttered, pulling a knife out of his jacket pocket.

  She let out a sob and tried to pull her arms away but the men had her in a tight grip. One of them tangled their fingers in her real hair and yanked her head back, causing her to yelp. Robert ran the cold knife along her neck and jaw, cutting into the skin of her cheek a little. She screamed and tried to back away but she had nowhere to go.

  The knife found the thin straps of her dress and cut through them one by one. The dress was threatening to fall off when the double doors that led to the hotel room splintered into a million little pieces. The force of the door caving in, saint Robert flying backwards and the larger men holding Rachel became unsteady, though they never released her.

  When the dust settled, Keith was standing among the rubble, his eyes narrowed to slits and his lips drawn back into an animal like snarl that she’d never seen before. He was shaking with rage and his large hands were curled into tight fists.

  He looked like he wanted to say something but words were lost to him at this point. When he opened his mouth all that came out was a howl that was more animal than human. She was sure that it terrified the men around her but all she could manage was a wide grin.

  Chapter Nine

  She knew she was safe when Keith burst through the door. She wasn’t expecting it to be so dramatic but she wasn’t going to complain. She pulled against the men, managing to get away now that they were stunned by the sudden arrival of this brute of a man.

  Just as she started to get away, one of the men snatched at her dress and pulled her back. She hit the ground hard and that's when Keith saw red.

  His skin began to rippled as his body started to change and the skin around his spine began to split as fur sprung up from underneath. His feet and hands changed into massive paws and claws grew from them, scratching the hardwood floors as he finally settled on all fours.

  His mouth had elongated and become a muzzle full of sharp teeth. His eyes were the same gray they always were but far more intense with a storm churning just behind them. He let out another snarl and Robert made a strange, terrified noise.

  Rachel’s heart was pounding in her chest and her eyes were wide as she stared at the wolf that had once been Keith. This was the stuff that nightmares were made out of and yet, she wasn’t scared. This was Keith. She knew it was still him and she knew that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  He was pawing closer and closer and the men holding her down were looking on in horror. Robert was screaming for them to shoot the wild animal. His voice was strangled and his breathing had become more and more erratic and it sounded as if he might pass out at any moment.

  Despite his orders to shoot, the men just stood there, stunned and gripping Rachel with enough force to bruise her arms. She didn’t care about that, though. Her eyes met Keith’s canine gaze and a smirk started to pull at her lips. Her head shot up and she said the words that would make Robert’s blood run cold.

  “Sick ‘em boy.”

  Keith didn’t hesitate. He lept at the men and they released Rachel immediately. She scrambled away from them as Keith nipped at their heels and chased them out of the room. He wanted to keep the bloodshed to a minimum since Rachel was watching. Once the men had fled the room he turned his gaze on Robert.

  The tubby man was backed into a corner, tears streaming down his fat cheeks. He was blubbering like a baby and begging for the wolf to spare his life. Keith looked over at Rachel and the woman narrowed her eyes, nodding.

  He leaped at Robert and he screamed, bringing his hands up to protect his face. Keith was on top of Robert, looming over him, his muzzle dripping with saliva. He wanted nothing more than to tear this man open and rip him apart for touching his Rachel. He snarled and snapped his teeth loudly in Roberts face.

  Rachel walked over to them and crossed her arms, staring down at the man who had tried to rape her. The cut on her cheek had stopped bleeding but the dried blood was smeared across her face. She stared down at him, her eyes bright and a wicked smile coming to her face.

  “You think this is a game, Mr. Cohen?” She whispered, snapping her fingers.

  Keith snarled and snapped at Robert’s face again. He was on the verge of a heart attack now and Rachel couldn’t bring herself to care.

  “You think we’re playing? One word and Keith here will rip you to pieces.” She hissed.

  Robert let out a pathetic sob and shook his head, try
ing to avoid the wolf’s teeth and gaze, “No! No! I don’t think this is a game! Please, I’ll pay you! Whatever you want!” He sobbed.

  She grinned and tapped her foot on the floor, “Oh you’re going to pay alright.” She hummed. “I’m not interested in money and neither is Keith. We want justice. I’m about to tell you what’s going to happen next. You’re going to listen closely and do exactly what I tell you to do.” She said sharply.

  Robert nodded quickly, “Yes! Anything! Whatever you want!” He wheezed out.

  Rachel ran her hand down Keith’s spine and he backed away, his teeth still bared, warning the man that if he made any moves he’d be dog food. Rachel crossed her arms and glared at him.

  “You’re going to stand the fuck up and we’re going to walk up the stairs to the roof.”

  “T-Then what?” He whimpered, obviously afraid that they were going to throw him off the top or shoot him.

  She grinned at him and nudged him towards the door. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

  They walked to the stairwell and made the short climb to the top. As they walked, she could hear the cracking sound of shifting bones as Keith turned back into a human. He was shirtless and his remaining clothes were torn but that could be explained away. They wouldn’t really have a solid answer for the agency if Rachel showed up to their pick up with a large wolf.

  When she turned around she saw Keith’s handsome face once more. The teeth and fur were gone but that protective gaze remained. It made her shudder and she’d happily admit that she liked it.

  They stood on the roof for a while before a helicopter dropped down and some transport people hopped off and cuffed Mr. Cohen. He read the side of the helicopter and his eyes widened.