Bear Shifters: Hunt Collection #2

by Ava Hunt

  "Well, because I love you, tulip, and because I took this promotion so that we could have a better life with me earning more. Why one earth would I move so far away if not to better our situation?" And moving away definitely helps my situation, he thought.

  "You promise that it just slipped your mind?"

  "Of course, baby, I even was going to tell you that night at Northend when we were having the steaks, but then you jumped in about the new graphics project and I was so in love with hearing about your work and staring into your eyes that it completely went out of my head. Then I kept thinking I had already told you. It was all my fault baby and you've every right to be mad at me."

  Jackson knew exactly how to work Mercy. Her ease of guilt was simple to manipulate. With those few sentences, she'd feel bad the rest of the evening for having doubted him and for overriding the conversation on the night he said he was going to tell her. Throw in a few more lies and I'll probably even get laid tonight, he thought.

  "Now honey, why don't you sit down here and let me give you a massage to release all that pent up tension. Come over here beside me." Jackson said, as he patted the open spot on the couch beside him.

  Chapter Two: The Going Away Party

  Jackson paced nervously while Mercy was getting ready for work. This was it. The last day at MakeSoft Central Division. The last day in Montana. And, if all went well, his last day walking the tightrope between his passive girlfriend Mercy and his hellfire side chick Kimberly.

  Sweat beaded on his brow and he developed a twitch in his right eyelid. Just breathe and remember, it will all be over in a few hours and then you hop that beautiful 747 and fly to New York, he thought.

  He had one chance to make this work and that chance all rested on Morgan's shoulders.

  The drive to the corporation seemed to take forever. He caught every red light and it seemed that everyone on the road didn't need to be anywhere in a hurry. As soon as the car came to a stop, Jackson slammed it into park and jutted out to find him.

  He saw him there, propped against a window, while others were bringing in chairs, tables, and other assorted party needs.

  "Morgan, man, can we talk?" Jackson whispered before the party began.

  Morgan looked around to see how crowded the conference room was, saw that only a few had managed to trickle in, and nodded.

  "Let's walk," he said, as he pointed down the hall so no one would be able to hear their conversation.

  "Morgan, I need a favor from you. Can you keep an eye on Mercy?"

  "Like make sure she's ok? You know she's planning on leaving to come with you right? Quit completely and give up everything to roll the dice on you." Morgan spit the words on you out, even as he tried to remain civil.

  Jackson looked at him perplexed, blinked slowly, and continued, "No man, I didn't know that actually." He let out a long exhale, "this is precisely what I mean. I need you to kinda... well, flirt with her, try to keep her mind here and let me fade a bit. Show her it's best to stay here."

  "You want me to flirt with your girlfriend so that she won't follow you?" Morgan was dumbstruck. He knew Jackson was a prick, but he didn't know how much of one until then.

  "Yea, you're cool with that right? I mean, play it good and you could probably totally nail her." To make his point and to help grease Morgan's way to accepting, Jackson slid an envelopr into his palm holding $1,000 to secure his plan.

  Jackson could barely hear Morgan tell him, "Sure, whatever, dude, no problem," as he walked away.

  ****

  The party was gearing up by the time the two of them got back to the conference room. Jackson walked in precisely when everyone yelled "Surprise" although it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Jackson himself even got the email alerting him to the party.

  "Oh you guys, I'm flattered!" Jackson feigned shock and went straight for the table of gifts and treats, something that didn't seem to shock anyone.

  Suddenly as he looked at the standard white going-away-party sheet cake and cookies, he remembered something.

  "Hey Morgan, you didn't make that tree thingy?"

  "It's Baumkuchen, or tree cake, and no I didn't. You know those things take a tremendous amount of work."

  "Damn dude, was looking forward to that, too."

  Jackson was known around the office for his baking. The more complicated the recipe, the better. It was like he thrived on creating things that didn't want to be created. The Baumkuchen cake Morgan made when their old manager went away six months ago was legend and Jackson was a bit let down that he didn't make one for him.

  Poor dude is jealous of me, Jackson thought.

  The door opened and Mercy stood in the doorway, the last to arrive. She went straight up to Jackson and whispered something into his ear before turning around to everyone and exclaiming, "Everyone I put in my notice, you've got two more weeks of me and then I'm jetting to New York to be with Jackson!"

  "Surprise, honey!" she said as she nuzzled up to him and kissed him deeply.

  A bristle when through Morgan as he turned around and left the room quietly and unnoticed by anyone. I'm not going to stick around and watch her love on that creep, he thought.

  Jackson tried to mask the horror he felt and held her tighter, hoping that Morgan would save him and his master plan to rid himself of everything that was Montana, including Mercy.

  That night, Jackson packed intently trying to stray away from any conversation about the trip. Mercy had been quiet, too quiet, and he went to see where she was hiding. It was there he found her, tied to the bed with a note that read "It's your last night and as a gift I'm giving you the ability to do whatever you want with me."

  Not wanting to be in a relationship with her any longer was certainly not going to stop him from taking full advantage of that opportunity. He nearly tripped getting out of those starched khaki cargo pants and into the warm wetness waiting for him.

  ****

  Morgan woke hours too early for work, still reeling from the fitful night's sleep. He toyed with the idea of not going into work at all, but he knew he would. He'd be there just to make sure Mercy was all right. But one thing was for sure, he was definitely going to do as Jackson requested. He'd make sure Mercy stayed. Not for Jackson's benefit, but for her own sake and maybe for his. She deserved better than she was getting.

  He slowly pulled himself from the comfort of his down bed and sauntered into the shower to try to think of ways to keep her in Montana, a tricky thing since she'd already quit her job.

  Do I try to seduce her away from Jackson, he wondered, or do I just tell her the truth? Knowing Mercy, telling her the truth would do more damage than the lie of seduction. She'd cast Morgan as a liar and go straight to Jackson early, and who knows what or who she'd find Jackson doing if that happened.

  ****

  It was hours before he saw her; hours that felt like days. He was getting worried before she walked out of the conference room, arms full of papers and her hair falling all around her face. She even had on these new black framed glasses that made her look sexy-geeky. He adjusted himself, feeling that old familiar tightening in his pants.

  She waved as she descended the stairs, straight next to his cubicle in the tight workspace below. Morgan returned the wave, turning to fake like he was deeply absorbed in work items. By the time he looked up to see if she was still coming this way, he saw her turn the corner to go to her own office.

  Just not ready to do anything here, he thought. I need to get her in a more neutral location.

  He then opened his computer and sent her an inter-office message:

  "Know you're probably going to be lonely today, how about a pick-me-up dinner on me? St. Angelo's? I could come get you about 8:00. Just let me know."

  St. Angelo's was the local Italian place, filled with great wine and better food. Morgan also knew it was her favorite after overhearing her talk to Jackson one night the three of them were out someplace. Jackson had never taken her there, but Morgan had paid atten
tion, much like he did whenever she spoke.

  It took a few minutes before a reply was returned, much longer than Morgan had anticipated. He had nearly given up on her answering when this came across his screen:

  "Sounds lovely! It's a date."

  He knew what she meant, it was her way of speaking, still the thought of Mercy going on a date with him was enough to warm him to his very toes. The thought of her tied to a chair in his basement, however, warmed much more than his toes.

  The day lingered and it seemed to drag twice as slow as it did normally. By the time 6:00 did get there, Morgan logged out in record time and went straight for the car. His SUV was as much of a stand out in the parking lot sea of Volvos and BMWs as he was in the office. Large, black, and foreboding, he felt wrapped in armor when he drove it, protecting him from harm. If only he could find something in life that made him feel the same way.

  Home in record time, he did a quick shower, changed into his best suit and tie, and was back out the door by 7. He'd have just enough time to make it across town to pick up Mercy and get to the restaurant before 8, and this was one meal he didn't want to miss.

  ****

  St. Angelo's was crowded and there was more of a wait than he had first thought, so they decided to wait at the bar for their seat to come up.

  "So Mercy, how are you holding up?" Morgan asked her as he gazed at the hip-hugging black dress she had wrapped around her pale, soft flesh. Her eyes held a fire in them and he couldn't understand how Jackson described her as "average". Every time he was near her his bear roared to life and the human side of him couldn't catch his breath. There was something about her that captivated him.

  "I'm doing okay I suppose, thanks for asking. I'm trying to find something in New York so I won't be unemployed when I get there."

  "I'm sure you're pretty worried about that." Morgan patted her head as he spoke while his mind added, while you should be worried about who Jackson might be fucking tonight in your absence.

  "It's stressful, especially because..." she began, before stopping.

  "Because?"

  A long sigh escaped her. "Because I keep feeling that once I leave all this I'll never get it back again. Silly, huh? Just my father always told me I wasn't good enough and Jackson..." Again, a pause.

  "And Jackson what?" Morgan asked through gritted teeth. His pulse raced and he could feel his pressure rise. So help me God, if he told Mercy she wasn't good enough to her face I'll rip his throat out. I won't even have to touch him I'll just shift and clamp down.

  "Jackson always has these women falling over him and I keep thinking that if I'm not at my very best he'll replace me."

  "Mercy, you could be poorly substituted for but never replaced, I assure you. At least, to anyone who can see your worth." He cradled her hand now and for a moment, she looked at him the way he'd always wanted.

  And then, in an instant, she removed her hand and started making small talk. Got a little real there for a moment. Maybe I can actually get her to see that Jackson may not be the one for her before anything drastic happens.

  Chapter Three: Mercy's Going Away Party

  Time was a blur for Morgan, who spent every moment he could with Mercy, trying to show her another life outside of being Jackson's doormat. While there were moments where he thought he was getting closer to her staying, in the end she was here, at her going away party at MakeSoft.

  He'd taken the time to make the tree cake, sat it lovingly in the center of the table with the rest of the potluck entrees and the finger foods, and waited for her arrival. She arrived at the glass double-doors and strode confidently in, dressed beautifully in a black suit with her hair up in a bun.

  Morgan noticed a few tendrils of hair that floated effortlessly down her face, and was overcome with the want to stroke them behind an ear.

  "I really appreciate everyone coming and saying goodbye. It's been hard these past few weeks. There are times when I've counted the minutes until my plane leaves, and there's been moments when I've thought about staying..." Mercy began, looking at Morgan there at the end of her statement. "In the end, it's been a wonderful time here at MakeSoft, and I will take a small piece of everyone with me when I go."

  Everyone clapped and started eating as Mercy made her way to Morgan.

  "I really appreciate you taking me out and making sure I wasn't bored in my off time, Morgan. And this cake, oh my word, it's every bit as tasty as it always is! What are you some kind of bakery wizard? All these secrets stored up in you," she said, poking him in his hard chiseled chest, "and so little time to unlock them."

  "You could stay, unlock all of them, get to know me better, if you wanted to that is." Morgan whispered, barely audible.

  For a moment he couldn't tell if she had heard him or not, until she turned to go and he heard, "There are times I think about it."

  Night came and people left MakeSoft, climbing into their vehicles and headed to their respective homes. Morgan said goodnight to Mercy and for a moment hesitated by her car door.

  "Anything wrong, Morgan?"

  There was so much he wanted to say to her. His mind wrestled with what to do as his bear wanted nothing more than to throw her over its shoulder and carry her off, keeping her away from Jackson and his heart-breaking ways.

  "No, just thinking. Be safe, Mercy." He uttered as he turned to walk to his own car.

  ****

  Morgan turned the corner, having stayed back just far enough Mercy couldn't see him. She stepped out of the car, and went inside her apartment. Bags were carried out and placed in the rental. Morgan started up his own car again and tailed her to the airport.

  She parked in the rental lot, turning over the key.

  It was time. He exhaled, rubbed his hands through his dark hair, and stepped out of the car.

  Morgan walked up behind her and said, "Need a hand with those?" startling her.

  "Morgan! What are you doing here, I thought you...." she didn't finish as his hand went around her mouth keeping her from speaking. He placed her in the front of his car, clicking a handcuff to the chair. The soft fabric gag kept her from making too much noise in the seat while he loaded her bags into the back of his own car. Her eyes held questions, a slight bit of fear, and wonderment.

  Now, what the fuck am I going to do, was the last thing he thought of as he climbed into the car and headed back to his place.

  Chapter Four: Settling In

  She sat there on the couch, minutes after arriving at Morgan's home. He'd brought in her bags, made her room, fixed her a drink and a snack, and then sat beside her. She carefully surveyed her surroundings. Well furnished, clean, not your typical bachelor pad.

  "Mercy, I'm going to take this gag off. I'm sorry I put it on, but I couldn't let you scream. You know me. You know I'd never put you in harm's way. At least, you should know."

  His hands shook a bit as he took the fabric from her mouth. Handed her the water as she glared at him, eyes streaked and menacing.

  She took a long drink, sat the glass down in her lap, as she quietly and calming began talking.

  "Morgan, I don't understand this at all. You knew I was leaving. I don't know why you would do this? What the hell has gotten into you?"

  "I will explain everything if you just give me time. I swear to you on everything I love dear in this world, that you can trust me. That I'd never hurt you. And that I did what I did because I truly couldn't see an option at the time."

  ****

  Morgan and Mercy had come to a general understanding. She wasn't to yell and she could have the gag removed. If she didn't try to break down the doors or windows, she could walk around unrestrained. She wouldn't get a key, she couldn't answer the phone or have one of her own, but she was able to have her own room and things and her door locked whenever she wanted.

  Time progressed and while Mercy skirted the line between still being scared of the situation and understanding that Morgan would never hurt her, the two seemed to get along.

&nb
sp; "Tell me more about you, Morgan." Mercy asked between sneezes.

  "Sounds like you caught a bug somewhere, damn office parties full of germs..." Morgan grumbled, leaving without answering her question.

  Morgan returned in moments with a handful of medications and a tall glass of water and sat them by her table at the opposite end of the couch.

  "Would you like to watch TV with me?" he asked, grabbing the remote.

  "Sure, may as well make the best of this, right?"

  "Mercy, I swear to you, this wasn't planned to be this way, but you gave me no choice in the matter. I couldn't let you go to New York."