by Cara Adams
Teddy felt sick with sadness for Keisha. Some people would say her father was stupid and deserved to lose his money. But if a man couldn’t trust someone he’d known for many years then who could he trust? “It’s terrible that your father’s faith in human nature was destroyed like that.”
“It’s done and over. I’m here now. What about your families?” Keisha turned her head from Tedros to Okapi. Teddy let Okapi answer first.
“Both our parents live on the farm still. There’s a community house we call the Senior Center over near the south boundary of the property. Maybe ten seniors live there together. They have people who do their cooking, yard work, and laundry for them, and from what my parents tell me, they spend most of their time watching old movies on the big-screen television, arguing about ‘the good old days,’ or playing bocce on an all-weather court they have in their backyard.”
Teddy laughed. “Some of them are getting deaf. You can hear the television perfectly well from the bocce court.”
“What’s bocce? I’ve heard the word but don’t know anything about the sport. It’s sort of like lawn bowls, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s played a lot in South America. They don’t need fancy lawn rinks like for lawn bowls and the bowls don’t have an inbuilt bias either. But it’s very much a game of tactics. Kind of like chess, only with balls,” said Okapi.
“The person or team with their ball closest to the jack is the winner. So if the other guy’s ball is winning, the next player tries to knock it away,” added Teddy.
“Okay. That makes sense. And it gets them outside in the fresh air and sunshine, so it’s all good.”
Teddy collected all their empty wrappers and containers and took them over to the trash can. Okapi pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and scrolled though a few screens, then said, “Let’s go over the baseball field and choose our seats. It’s a little early but we might as well sit there as here.”
Once again Teddy walked as close beside Keisha as he dared, his body not quite touching hers, but where he was quite close enough that everyone nearby would know she was his and not try to accost her. Okapi led them up the bleacher stairs, stopping about halfway. “Where would you like to sit, Keisha?”
Tedros watched Keisha as she looked at the chessboard. Someone had drawn the eight-squares-wide-by-eight-squares-long chessboard on the baseball field, then carefully colored alternate squares white, leaving the others the brownish-green grass. It wasn’t quite traditional chessboard style, but it made it very clear where the actors who were the chess pieces should stand and move.
“I have no idea. What do you recommend?” she said.
“The middle,” suggested Okapi raising an eyebrow at Teddy. Teddy wasn’t sure. No matter where they sat, if someone really tall were in front of them their view might be spoiled.
The middle already had people sitting in it for that row and the one lower, so they went up one step higher and walked to the center of the bleachers before sitting.
Teddy nodded. Now that was smart. These people were average height and wouldn’t block their view.
Teddy sat silently watching Keisha’s enjoyment as the bleachers filled with viewers and a crowd of costumed actors gathered at the chessboard.
“What wonderful costumes,” said Keisha.
“Very clever indeed.”
Tedros hadn’t really thought about it, but he supposed he’d expected them to wear robes in either black or white, with perhaps the King and Queen wearing crowns or something. Instead they were in full costume, the King in breeches and doublet, the Queen in a long dress, the Knights with swords, the Bishops wearing miters, and the Rooks with a castle-battlement kind of cloak. Only the pawns were dressed just in pants and shirt of their color, either black or white.
“Such a lot of effort has gone into this to make it special,” said Keisha.
“I heard that just about every kid in the school chess club vied to be chosen as one of the pieces,” said Okapi.
“That’s pretty amazing since they’ll mostly have to stand still for a long time,” added Tedros.
“Although, not as long as it might have been. The match is a re-enactment of a famous match, so everyone knows what will happen and there won’t be long gaps while a player tries to decide which piece to move. But it will still be happening slowly enough for the commentators to explain each move,” said Okapi.
“That’s just as well, otherwise I might not understand it.”
“You and a whole lot of other people. I think plenty of the crowd is just here for a fun day out.” Tedros smiled at Keisha and wished he were brave enough to sit closer to her, but he didn’t want to impose on her personal space or spoil the day for her in any way. Maybe once the match started she’d let him hold her hand. It seemed very high school, but then, they were at a high school right now, and not upsetting her was paramount.
The bleachers filled with people and others sat on the baseball field on the far side of the chessboard. Still more people stood behind them. The two commentators climbed up high stools like the umpires at tennis matches, and then the siren blew. Tedros tried to keep most of his concentration on Keisha, with his head turned sideways so he could still see the chess game.
* * * *
Keisha was totally enjoying the day. She’d never in her wildest imagination thought Tedros and Okapi would take her to a chess tournament and display, but she’d loved looking at the chess pieces, right now the costuming was great, and she was looking forward to seeing the game. But most of all it was the happy and enthusiastic crowd that thrilled her. Everyone had come here to have fun. They were relaxed and playful. People everywhere were laughing and talking. Even the ones back inside arguing over the chess moves were lighthearted about it. There was no anger or bitterness anywhere. It was all about having a good time, enjoying the summer day with friends and family, and now watching the display.
Keisha’s knowledge of how to play chess was minimal. But knowing all about chess wasn’t really necessary. The commentators explained each move and what it meant.
“Kasparov versus Topalov played at Wijk aan Zee, Holland, in 1999. One of the best attacking games ever,” boomed the commentator.
“White always moves first. That’s Kasparov. This game is also called Kasparov’s Immortal as it is often considered the best attacking game ever played, not just one of the best,” said the second commentator.
Keisha watched entranced as the early moves followed the kind of moves she very vaguely remembered from the kids in middle school who’d been very keen on the game. As the game progressed, though, she was able to see very clearly why it was considered unique. With the actors and the life-size board, as white chased black’s king all over the squares, she could feel the desperation of black to save their king. But even more than that, she clapped and cheered with the spectators as black snatched up some white pieces as it ran away.
“It’s so real and vivid,” she said to the men.
Even though everyone knew what the ending would be, when black was finally defeated, the groans from the crowd were genuine and heartfelt. Keisha jumped to her feet to clap and cheer with the rest of the people on the bleachers just as passionately as if they’d been watching baseball, not chess.
“Would you like to walk around some more?” asked Okapi.
“Anything now would be an anticlimax. That was amazing. Thank you for bringing me. I truly enjoyed it.”
“I’m so glad,” said Okapi. Right then she realized that even though he always seemed so organized and calm, underneath he must have been worried she wouldn’t appreciate the outing.
They walked back to the car and this time Okapi drove. Keisha wondered if they were deliberately taking turns at sitting beside her. The more she thought about it, the more she understood that Okapi would always be fair. He seemed quite bossy and opinionated, but a lot of it would simply be from his job. He was the second in command on the farm, with a huge amount of responsibility, and also the need to
make decisions quickly and decisively. With the needs and concerns of so many people to balance, likely he was used to someone disagreeing with him from time to time, and therefore accustomed to not showing a lot of emotion. It was a job. People had to obey him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t feeling the usual stress or worries that everyone else suffered from. He was just better at hiding them.
Yes. This had been a good outing on so many levels. She’d gotten to talk to the men and learn more about them. She’d had a wonderful time, and she’d discovered more about their personalities as well. So, did this mean they would ask her out again? She really wasn’t interested in having to wait quite so long for a second date, but hopefully there’d be no need to. Of course, Okapi worked long hours, but he’d taken today off and presumably he had most evenings off as well. Hmm, if they don’t ask me out within a week, maybe I’ll invite them out. I’ll save that as a backup plan, anyway.
All the way home, Keisha wondered if Okapi would say anything but he didn’t. Just as well. I’ve gotten my own plans sorted out.
* * * *
Okapi had spent many hours equipping the dungeon at his and Tedros’s house exactly how he wanted it. Teddy had said several times he’d be happy to play the sub for Okapi, but Okapi strongly believed that just as the sex couldn’t begin until they were in a relationship with their woman, the BDSM shouldn’t either.
“I agree neither of us should be fucking anyone else. We need to save ourselves as a ménage for our mate. But tell me again, why you can’t paddle my ass occasionally?” asked Tedros.
“I would get great pleasure out of planning the scene. If I did it right, you’d get pleasure out of the punishment,” Okapi said wondering what Teddy didn’t understand.
“So what? I really enjoyed that clam chowder last night but I’m pretty sure you’re not going to say I can’t eat anything I like until Keisha agrees to mate us.”
“Dammit, Teddy, stop stirring me. No clam chowder is going to give you an orgasm.”
Okapi stared at Teddy, giving him his ferocious look, but Teddy just grinned. “Oh, I don’t know. It was a very good meal.”
“Enough talk about dungeons. None of that can happen until after Keisha agrees to spend a night with us.”
“When are you going to ask her out again?”
“Yeah, that’s a bit of a problem. Our date went so well, I’m not sure how to find something else as good as that.”
“I don’t think every date needs to be special. The first one, yes. That was very important. But I think we could do normal date-type stuff next time. A meal, a movie, something like that.”
Okapi thought about that for a while. “Yes, okay, likely you’re right. If we go somewhere nice there’ll be a floor show and dancing. I’d like to dance with her.”
“Holding her in my arms would be good. Not that I dance well, but I do know how to do it. April, May, and June made sure of that.”
“Whatever possessed your aunt to name her daughters April, May, and June? I know April was born in April, but May was born in September.”
“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t want to name a kid September, would you?” said Teddy.
“Tedros, I’m serious.”
“When May was born everyone was so surprised she was another girl, they bought my uncle a drink. The story goes he was blind drunk for a week after she was born, and my aunt really liked the name April, and wanted her second daughter to have a matching name, so she called her May. By the time June was born, my aunt and uncle figured they were onto a really good thing so they kept the theme going.”
“They’re mad.” Okapi shook his head. Girls were rare and precious. He’d have given the baby a unique and truly special name, not one off a calendar. Right now he needed to forget about Tedros’s cousins and think about the next date with Keisha. It shouldn’t be too far away in time or place, but not tomorrow or anything like that either. Also, he needed to Google the nicer restaurants and choose one. “Let’s go for a run.” It’d clear his head and help him think better.
“Good idea. I’d like to stretch my legs.”
They retreated into their bedrooms to undress and transform. Unlike most of the wolves, they didn’t have to leave a door open when they ran. Long ago, Tedros’s grandfather had inserted a wolf door into the cellar door. It opened out behind a tangled mass of shrubbery and was an excellent place for a wolf to stop and assess the yard before exiting. It was the one bush they never pruned, letting it grow as wild as it liked, hard against the side of the house and completely blocking the cellar door from casual observation.
They ran through several people’s backyards, then across a field that was lying fallow after the cabbages had been harvested, before they turned up a one-lane unmade road which led to the wild land. Calling it “wild land” was a bit of a misnomer. It was an area the size of four large fields that had never been cleared. Trees and bushes grew there as they pleased, and when one fell down it was left to lie there, although possibly in days gone by, some fallen trees might have been used for firewood.
It was a great place to run, with so many different scents of birds, insects, and small animals, as well as the grasses, trees, and shrubs. He led until they reached the area, and then let Tedros choose which way to go. Teddy ran straight down to the river and splashed in the shallows, before running upstream along the bank. Okapi followed, running fast, and eventually passed Teddy and led the way to Lookout Hill. Many of the wolves tended to end their runs there. It was challenging to sprint up the hill, but had a most rewarding view out across the farm in every direction.
Today they flopped onto the grass panting, resting for a few minutes, before they ran more slowly back down the hill and home via the road. Okapi hadn’t had time to think about anything, but he knew the answers would appear in his mind either later today or tonight while he slept. A run always seemed to clear his head, letting his subconscious work on whatever worried him. Something else he needed to be thinking about was what was going on in Coopersville. A silent partner had taken a part share in the BDSM club and the werewolves weren’t at all happy with the direction the business was taking. It seemed to be part brothel now, and mixing BDSM with paying guests was a delicate mix. No untrained Doms should ever be allowed to practice on untrained subs. A Dom needed years of mentoring to ensure he had the sub’s needs and wishes at the forefront of his mind at all times. Okapi really needed to get Yaro, their IT expert, to look into the situation. Yes. Tomorrow, he’d ask Yaro to work on that problem.
* * * *
There was a second private road where people had been seen watching the farm. It had been easy to block off, and a team of werewolves had done that immediately, but Tedros was sent to check all the fences were intact and there was no sign of people climbing them. A farm wasn’t a secure place at all. Anyone who didn’t mind walking on rough ground could find a way over, under, or around a fence, with a bit of determination. However, most people abided by a fence. It was rare that people walked among crops, because they knew it was the farm’s income they were damaging.
Teddy knew sometimes people stole animals, especially cattle, but they were usually worth a lot more money than cabbages and onions and they were a lot more portable, too. Entice them into a truck, drive away, and the thief had instant money for a cow. Or possibly a mighty fine barbecue. Cabbages and onions, well, they took more effort to harvest and sell.
So he really wasn’t expecting to see any signs at all that people had been nearby. He thought likely it had been some gawking busybody who’d stopped to stare at the farm, and was nothing to worry about. But he collected one of the quad bikes and set out following the fence line as far as possible. At times he had to get off and walk, climbing rises and using binoculars to ascertain that the fence was unbroken. A couple of times he took photographs on his cell phone as there were weeds and undergrowth almost to the fence, which needed to be dug up. But mostly he looked on it as a regular day’s work. The sun was shining, the breeze ruffled h
is hair and cooled the sweat on his body, and the quad bike meant he didn’t have to do miles and miles of walking, just enough to stop him getting bored with riding.
He was on his way back to the quad bike, way over near the east boundary, when he heard people talking. Teddy was puzzled as he knew no one should have been working over here. There were no crops here needing weeding or care, and people who went for runs usually went in animal form, not human form. Silently Teddy walked halfway up a steep rise, and then lay on his belly and commando crawled, keeping his head and his ass down low under the line of the hill.
Instead of climbing to the top of the hill, Teddy moved slightly sideways away from the sound of the voices, hoping he’d not be in their direct line of sight if they looked up. Of course, if it were a couple of his friends he was going to look like a total idiot, but he truly didn’t recognize the voices, and they were speaking too softly for him to distinguish the words they were saying.
When Tedros carefully raised his eyes over the lip of the hill he saw a large rock in front of him. Relieved, he slid over the ridge of the hill, and hunkered down behind the rock, looking around one side of it. The two men definitely weren’t wolves. He didn’t recognize them at all.
“Why does Mr. Green want us to watch these people? Why does he think they’re shape-shifters? I didn’t think anyone over the age of ten believed in such things,” whined the one in the red shirt.
“These people have interfered with some of Mr. Green’s business deals. They’ve tried to get City Hall on their side and have caused Mr. Green unhappiness. I went to school with half a dozen Coopers myself, and I know there’s nothing special about them. But if Mr. Green wants us to find some dirt on them, we’ll find some dirt.”
“The only dirt we’ve found so far is this stuff on my pants.”
“Quit your bitching, Tom. We’re getting paid good money to look all around here, so we look. And tomorrow we’ll look some more. You know and I know, we ain’t going to find anything, but that’s not the point. We’re paid to look.”
