by Jane Jamison
“Beats me. Maybe there’s a doctor in a nearby town. I don’t know.”
The pretty little chime over the front door tingled, creating a fairy-like bell sound. Heather and Emeline entered together, laughing.
“Hey, girls. I’m glad you could make it.” Betsy opened her arms wide and pulled both of them into a huge hug.
“We’re a little early. Is that okay?” asked Emeline. “We figured we could help out.”
“Early is fine.” Betsy turned around. “So? What do you think?”
“It’s great.” Heather skimmed her hands along a pile of silk blouses. “Although I’m not sure—” She stopped, realizing what she was about to say. “I mean…” Again, she stumbled with saying too much.
“Too much for a small Georgia town?” asked Betsy.
“Maybe.” Emeline took one of the dresses off the rack and held it up in front of her. “Don’t get me wrong. Everything you have is beautiful. It’s just that…” She winced, falling into the same trap Heather had.
Betsy, however, seemed unperturbed. “It’s just that you can’t see the women of Fate wearing these kinds of things. I get what you mean. I can’t imagine anyone hauling around a saddle while wearing a sun dress.”
“I can.” Raven shrugged. “Even if I’m wrong, I’m sure it’ll all turn out fine.” Raven felt like she needed to say something in favor of the store. She secretly had the same opinions as her friends, but what good would telling Betsy do now? The grand opening would happen in less than fifteen minutes.
“Have any of you heard that some people don’t like the name of the store?” Emeline’s shock registered on her face. “I don’t know what’s come over me. I’ve got diarrhea of the mouth.”
“Now that you mentioned it, I had a few ladies tell me they didn’t like that it had the word cat in it.” Betsy shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me why, and they wouldn’t say when I asked them.”
“This town has a strange fascination with wolves. Haven’t you noticed?” asked Heather. “Sure, there are a handful of those who are cat-crazy, but most of the folks around here lean toward the canine variety of animal. They even name their businesses and homes after wolves. Like the Wolf’s Den and Wag Your Tail barbershop. It’s kind of weird. I guess you should’ve called the store the Sharp Fangs or Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.”
Raven had noticed the same thing, but hadn’t thought much about it. Didn’t all small towns have their quirks?
“I’m sorry, Betsy. I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.” Emeline looked as dejected as a dog that had lost a big, juicy steak.
“Don’t worry about it. I know it’s going to be a hard road, but I have faith that the women of Fate and the surrounding towns want to have something more than faded jeans and T-shirts in their closets. Plus, there are a few bigger girls in this area that have to order online or go all the way into Atlanta to find sizes to fit them. I’ve got them covered, both emotionally and size-wise.”
Raven admired Betsy’s spunk. She was a big woman with an even bigger heart. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure the store’s a success. All you have to do is ask. Right, girls?”
“Damn straight,” said Heather. She pulled a couple of dresses and flung them over her shoulder. “In fact, unless Raven beat me to it, I’ll be your first customer. Now where are the changing rooms?”
Betsy pointed toward the back of the store. “Right there. Oh, and don’t think I’m going to tell you not to feel obligated to buy something. Go ahead. Feel obligated.” She laughed. “Feel very obligated. And thank you.”
Heather laughed and snagged a pair of slacks as she headed toward the dressing rooms. “Talk up, everyone, so I can still hear you while I try these on.”
Emeline had started browsing, too. Although Raven didn’t have enough money in her bank account to buy a wash rag, much less nice clothes, she started looking around, too. If she had to, and even though she hated doing so, she’d charge it. What were friends for, anyway?
“Betsy and I were just talking about the fight at the Wolf’s Den.”
Emeline whirled to face her, her eyes wild. “Wasn’t that amazing? I mean, in a bad way.” She bit her lower lip. “But in a good way, too. I mean, call me crazy, but I got a little turned-on.”
“Especially when Tyler and his brother and cousin came to the rescue, right?”
Emeline blushed at Betsy’s statement, but she didn’t deny it. “Did you know the Wilson men own the place? So, of course, they had to break the fight up.”
“Where’d you go, anyway?” asked Raven. “I saw you bump into Evan, but I lost you after that.”
“Maybe that’s because you got out of there so quick-like.”
Betsy tilted her head in a way that reminded her of Drake and his brothers. Whenever they had a question, they tended to tilt their heads. It also reminded her of the way her childhood pet dog used to do the same thing.
Raven wasn’t about to tell them what had happened in the parking lot with the Hardwick men. Part of her, however, wanted to tell them about Robert. Would they understand if she told them the truth about her past? Would they be able to help her know what to do now? She’d grown to care for these women and trusted them.
“Listen, girls, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Emeline’s blue eyes met hers and held on. “Are you in trouble, Raven?”
Surprised, she held back. After all she’d been through, trusting anyone was very hard, but she wanted, hell, needed to trust her new friends. “No. Yes. Kind of.”
Betsy dropped the shirt she’d been folding and joined Emeline at her side. “What’s going on? Is someone bothering you? Tell me who and I’ll slam a bottle over his head. Is it one of the Hardwick brothers?”
“If it’s one of them, then it’s a good kind of trouble,” called Heather from the back.
“No. They’re great.” They’re better than great. They’re damn near perfect.
“Then what?”
“An old…acquaintance of mine showed up in town.” She hoped they wouldn’t notice the pause before the word acquaintance, but that was the nicest word to describe Robert. Describing him the way she wanted to, in not-so-polite language, might have shocked the girls.
“What makes me think this guy was more than an acquaintance?” Emeline was a quiet kind of girl, and smart. She gave Raven a look that said she knew she was holding back. “He’s an ex, isn’t he? And not a good one, from the look on your face.”
“No. He’s not.” She wanted to be truthful, but couldn’t bring herself to tell them the entire story. “Let’s just say we didn’t part on good terms. He kind of showed up out of the blue after a long time.”
“You should tell your men,” added Betsy.
Her men? As much as she liked the way that sounded, she wasn’t about to believe they were hers. Not yet.
She shook her head and brushed them off. Why get them involved, especially if they were only going to send her running to Drake, Dugan, and Harrin? “Never mind. This isn’t the time or place. Besides, isn’t it time to officially open your doors?”
Betsy’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, shit. It is. Wish me luck.” She hurried toward the front door and turned over the “Closed” sign to the “Open” side of it. “Doesn’t look like I needed to be in a hurry, though.”
Raven scanned the sidewalk through the window. Not one person was headed toward the store. “They’re getting a late start, is all.”
“She’s right,” added Emeline. “No one wants to be the first to come inside. Give them time.”
“Besides, I’m your first customer, remember?”
They turned to find Heather tossing all the clothing she’d taken into the dressing room onto the counter. A disappointed Betsy took her time getting to the cash register. “I was only joking before. You really don’t have to do this.”
“Hey, I want these things. They’re terrific. Seriously.” Heather pulled out her credit card and handed it to Betsy. “Ring them up.”
“Um, Betsy, don’t look now, but I think you’re going to need to hire a shop girl.”
Raven, along with the other three girls, shifted her attention to the outside of the store again. Billy Johnson and Scott Branton, along with their friend Foster Rittenhouse, strode across the street. They had a woman on each arm, and were leading them toward the store. In the meantime, they called to other people, urging them to “get their buns inside the new shop.”
Raven smiled, her heart opening up to the men Betsy liked. “Talking about stores, I’d better get going to my job before Babs decides to fire me. Betsy, I’ll be back later once the crowd thins out. Save something for me to buy.”
She let the men and the crowd of women they’d gathered into the store before she eased outside. As much as she would’ve loved to stay at Classy Cat and help Betsy, she couldn’t afford to lose her job. She glanced around, fearful Robert might show up, then thrust out her chin. She was done letting him worry her. If he showed up again, she’d take her cue from Betsy and brain him over the head with a beer bottle.
* * * *
Raven moaned, tossing and turning in her bed. The dream had taken hold of her and wouldn’t let go. Not that she would’ve ended it if she could have.
Dugan, his mouth curved into that impish grin of his, lifted his head from between her legs. “Did you sprinkle real sugar down here, sugar? ’Cause you sure do taste sweet.”
She couldn’t answer, not when Drake was busily lashing his tongue over her tit and Harrin was taking her hand and cupping it around his hard cock. The best she could do for an answer of any kind was a soft moan.
Drake squeezed her breast and shook it while his tongue played over the tip of her nipple. His growl warmed her skin then was gone, replaced by the cool air of the window unit. Yet she wasn’t chilled. Her body was hotter than the sun on a steamy Georgia afternoon.
She bucked uncontrollably as Dugan pulled her pussy folds apart and latched his mouth to her clit. The burn in her abdomen spread outward, but he held down her legs, making it impossible for her to squirm away. Teeth replaced tongue soon enough as he slid two fingers inside her oozing pussy.
Drake turned her breast free and lifted up. His dark eyes were transformed into amber globes. His jaw muscle flinched as he gritted his teeth. His fingers tunneled into her hair and he yanked her hair, making her look at him.
“We’re going to make you ours now. For the rest of your life, you’ll only have us. No one else. Got it?”
She tried to nod, but his hold was too firm. Instead, she moaned again, hoping he’d understand she meant yes.
“Stop fucking with all that. I need her mouth around my cock.” Harrin took her behind the neck, bumping off Drake’s hold on her, and then turned her head to the side. He presented her with his cock like a king presenting his queen with a lavish gift. “Suck, baby.”
She was more than ready to do as he said. Drawing his wide, huge length into her mouth, she hollowed her cheeks and did her best to cause friction where it was so wet. He smiled, the gesture turning into a growl as his hips worked back and forth.
“Fuck this.” Drake pushed her onto her side, then lay down behind her. His big hands found her breasts again, covering them, playing with them as he tortured her nipples.
She’d been hot before, but with his body next to hers, the heat increased tenfold. His body was hard to her soft and his cock pressed against her butt had her giving in to a small climax.
Dugan jerked her body closer and lapped up her juices. He wrapped his arms around her legs, putting her knees to his shoulders, and drank from her, sucking harder until pleasure mixed with pain.
Harrin rocked back and forth, seemingly oblivious to what his brothers were doing. His hand grew firmer on her neck as he took her tit and worked his palm against her pebbled nipple. “That’s it, baby. Suck it. Use your tongue. Yeah. Perfect. Just perfect.”
She was on the brink of another climax and yet held on. The world around her had somehow become more alive, vibrant with colors even in the middle of the night. Yet the brightest color was the amber filling each of the men’s eyes.
“Now, babe. Trust me. It won’t hurt for long.”
She should’ve known it was coming, but Drake abruptly shoving his cock inside her dark hole caught her by surprise. It hurt, but the pain soon mixed with the burn swirling inside her. He filled her, stretching her tight rings, demanding they surrender to his power. She cried out and gripped the hand he offered her.
Harrin shoved his cock in farther, deeper until she was sure she’d gag. No matter how deep it went, she wouldn’t give up until she’d tasted the musk of his seed.
Dugan, his face a mask of determined control, went to his knees, then leaned over her leg. Taking his cock in hand, he settled it at her opening, then shoved his cock deep inside her sheath.
She let out another cry of joy as the primal passion inside her took full control. These were her men. She didn’t need them to tell her so. She knew it in her heart, in her soul.
She’d wanted them for so long, had waited, letting her fear keep her from taking them. She’d let the past lead her future, but no longer. They were hers now and forever.
The world splintered apart as a climax greater than she’d ever known ripped into her. She screamed, her cry sliding along Harrin’s cock just as he added his voice to hers and turned his cum free.
Her body moved with theirs, showing how much they belonged together. They were in sync, not only in sexual rhythm, but in their thinking.
She closed her eyes, wanting all her concentration to focus on the way they felt inside her. She was fulfilled, not only in a physical way, but in an emotional, spiritual way.
Suddenly, the sensations skimming inside and outside her body were gone. A chill swept over her, jerking her away from her men. Her eyes flew open and her heart skipped a beat.
Robert stood at the foot of her bed. His eyes flamed with red as he sneered down at her. “Miss me, honey?”
Raven sat up, her heart pounding, her gaze scanning the small bedroom. What her eyes told her, her brain took a minute more to understand. She was alone. Safe from Robert, but alone and without the men she craved.
Slowly, her breathing returned to normal. The tightening in her gut eased.
“It was only a dream.” A dream, yes, at first, but a dream that had ended badly, transforming into a nightmare. Tears swam in her eyes, unwelcome. Robert had to leave. One way or another, she had to be rid of him once and for all.
A loud thump startled her.
Had it been a dream-turned-nightmare? Or had Robert come to change her nightmare into a horrible reality?
Chapter Six
Raven slipped out of bed and onto bare feet. Making as little noise as possible, she reached for the rifle she’d left leaning against the wall.
Had the sound come from inside the house? Her throat closed up, her breath catching. Her hand shook as her fingers closed around the stock of the gun. She flipped the safety off.
Should she call Drake? But she didn’t have his number. Did Fate have a 9-1-1 system? She doubted it and chastised herself for not finding out before now, but when she’d found her new home in the small town, she’d believed it to be a safe place, away from the dangers of a large city.
But that was before Robert had found her.
With her breathing loud in her ears, she tiptoed to her bedroom door. Once there, she leaned her head against it and waited. If she heard another noise, she’d investigate it or sneak out the bedroom window and run for help.
Her gaze darted to the window. What if she walked into town and dragged Drake and his brothers out to her home? What if they came and found nothing? She’d seem like a frightened little girl who didn’t know how to take care of herself. She’d be the girl who cried wolf.
She listened a little while longer, then decided that the noise must’ve been made by the creaking of the old house or, at worse, a mouse making its nightly run searching for food.
The idea of finding a mouse sitting on top of the kitchen counter munching away wasn’t a nice one, but it was a whole lot better than finding Robert skulking toward her bedroom. Either way, she had to find out. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep until she knew the house was locked up and safe.
The door let out an awfully loud creak when she pulled it open just enough to peek around the edge. She paused, listened again, and dared to look down the short hall leading to the living area. A pent-up breath of relief escaped her when she found nothing but a dimly lit hallway.
So far, so good.
The second creak of the door wasn’t as loud as the first one, but taking her first step out of her bedroom was still unnerving.
Keep going. You’ll see that nothing’s wrong and you can go back to bed.
The other side of brain, however, wanted to argue against exploring any farther.
If you’re so sure it’s safe, then go back to bed and forget about it. There’s no use running around the house in the dark.
The internal argument continued.
Coward. Just get it over with.
“Okay, okay,” she whispered. “I’m going.”
She held the rifle, barrel pointed ahead of her and her finger on the trigger. For a moment, she considered calling out to ask if anyone was there, but what good would it do? Anyone hiding in her home wasn’t going to answer her. She’d only be warning them of her presence. Instead, she kept moving, putting one foot in front of the other.
If Robert was inside, would she shoot him, wounding him so he couldn’t run away? Or would she once again threaten him and tell him to get the hell out? Could she hold him at gunpoint until Drake and the others came to take him away? Again, she wished she had Drake’s number. Besides, if she did that, she’d have to explain her connection to him.
Anger welled up. He’d already taken enough from her. She wouldn’t let him take away her future, too.
Could she shoot him using deadly force? After all, dead men didn’t talk. She’d say he was a stranger who had, for some unknown reason, started stalking her. A home invasion, maybe.
