She Howled, They Came

by Gabrielle Demonico

  “Uhh, wha…” the old lady stammered. She snatched her arm free from Max and clutched at her blouse. “How dare you talk to me like that!”

  Wordless, Max leaned his head back and squinted at her. After a brief standoff in silence, the old lady grabbed the handle of the small dog kennel. She glared down at Tina as she prepared to walk away.

  “You,” she began. “Tina… have not heard the last of this… I can assure you!” As she finished, she turned her focus towards Max. “And as for you, sir… well, you are without a doubt the rudest, most insensitive person I’ve ever encountered!”

  Max scoffed at her. “Ditto, lady.”

  “Uh!” Miss Anderson exclaimed in a final burst of displeasure. With that, she picked up Mitzi’s kennel, turned away from the desk and seconds later exited the clinic. While the door slammed shut behind her, a middle-aged man nearby clapped in slow, sarcastic approval. Max tipped an imaginary cap in the man’s direction and then turned his attention back towards Tina.

  Tina shook her head. “I appreciate what you were trying to do there, Max, but you really shouldn’t have.”

  Max nodded. “You’re probably right. Man, she pissed me off though. Old bitch.”

  While he spoke, Tina pressed the eraser of her pencil into the appointment book and rubbed it side-to-side. As she brushed away the tiny curls left by it, the faint scent of rubber wafted upwards into her nose.

  ***

  “Any word yet?” Max asked.

  Tina shook her head. “No, but I think Doctor Hurley will be out to speak with you any minute. Tracy told me the operation went well, but maybe it’s best to wait and see exactly what he says.”

  As she spoke, Tina glanced across the room where Chuck sat with Kimmie.

  “How’s Kimmie?”

  Max did a half turn over his shoulder and shrugged. “Um, better. We’ve been trying to tell her that… you know… it wasn’t her fault, but…”

  “Yeah,” Tina nodded. “I know she feels awful.”

  Max pursed his lips. “She’ll be okay… It’s just hard right now.”

  As he spoke the door that led to the examination rooms swung open and Doctor Hurley walked through. Max looked in Chuck’s direction and motioned for him and Kimmie. For several seconds, Doctor Hurley made notes on a clipboard in his hand. Chuck and Kimmie joined Max in front of Tina’s desk and as he did, Doctor Hurley clicked his pen shut.

  “Doctor,” Tina began. “These men are Bosco’s owners.”

  Doctor Hurley slipped his pen back inside his lab coat and then extended his hand across the desk.

  “Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Doctor Peter Hurley.”

  Over the next several minutes, Doctor Hurley explained the details of Bosco’s injury and subsequent operation. While the operation succeeded and the prognosis for recovery was good, Bosco would have to remain at the clinic for a few days… at a minimum.

  As Tina listened, she glanced up to see Kimmie pressed against Chuck. His left arm draped across her shoulder as she leaned her bodyweight into him. As they stood there, Tina couldn’t help but notice how perfect they seemed for each other, if only in a pure physical sense. Unable to keep her eyes from tracing the lines of Chuck’s barrel chest, Tina’s vision drifted up further towards his face.

  As she did, Kimmie’s eyes met hers.

  The female trainer glared at her. Her eyes narrowed at Tina as she nuzzled her head into Chuck’s neck and slipped the fingers of her left hand inside of his shirt. Caught off guard, Tina dropped her eyes toward her desk. Her stomach clenched as she tried to make sense of what just happened. Apparently she and Chuck were still together, or at least that’s what Kimmie seemed to think.

  Tina felt Kimmie’s eyes upon her, warning her and staking their claim on Chuck. As the conversation between Chuck, Max and Doctor Hurley continued in the background, Tina did her best to look busy. Mercifully, Tina’s cell phone started to ring and she wasted no time as she excused herself from the conversation and Kimmie’s relentless stare.

  Tina pushed against the front door to the veterinary clinic and as she walked out, the hydraulic door closer hissed overhead. The heat wave of the last two weeks broken for now, Tina bathed in the warmth of the afternoon sun as it licked against her air-conditioning-cooled skin. In the distance, leaf blowers whined as an army of men and mowers put the finishing touches on a day’s work. Tina raised the phone to her ear and as she did a light breeze, still rich with aroma of fresh cut grass, soothed her jagged senses.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Hey,” her friend Allison replied. “Are you…”

  “Oh man,” Tina interrupted. “A lot has happened this afternoon.”

  “What do you mean?” Allison asked. “Are you okay?”

  Tina spent the next few minutes explaining the events of the day to Allison. As she talked, she walked in long, lazy circles in an area of grass near the building where overly excited patients… relieved themselves. At one point, she walked back in the direction of the clinic when she saw the front door swing open.

  Kimmie appeared and as she did, she glanced in Tina’s direction.

  “What is her problem?” Tina wondered aloud into the receiver.

  “What?” Allison replied. “Who?”

  “Kimmie.”

  Tina froze in place as she spoke. She watched as Kimmie forced a quick, close-lipped smile in her direction and then almost as fast, looked away and continued on towards her car.

  “What do you mean? What’s she doing?” Allison asked.

  With one eye on the ground and the other on Kimmie, Tina stayed silent as she continued to meander in the grass lot. Kimmie’s late model European coupe revved to life about twenty yards away. Her tires squeaked against the pavement as she drove off.

  “Tina,” Allison said after several seconds. “Hello?”

  “I don’t know,” Tina replied. “She’s just acting really weird.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Tina shook her head. Before long, Doctor Hurley would begin to wonder where she was.

  “I’ll tell you later. I have to get back inside.”

  “Okay, but hey,” Allison said. “What about tonight? Are you meeting me for the six o’clock class?”

  The six o’clock class. Kimmie taught it.

  “Um, no…” Tina said. “I don’t think I’m gonna go tonight.”

  “What? Why not? Because of what’s going on with Kimmie? This is so dumb, Tina. What happened between you two?”

  “Nothing,” Tina said. “I just don’t feel like going tonight is all. It’s been a long day. I promise I’ll fill you in later.”

  Allison exhaled into the receiver. “Fine… But I’m calling you later tonight when I get home from class.”

  From behind, Tina heard the jingle of dog tags as two other nurses emerged from the side door of the clinic with a small pack in tow. In a rush to get down to business, the animals scattered in every direction and heeded Nature’s call.

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you later,” Tina said. “I gotta go. I have to get back inside.”

  “K.” Allison replied. “Bye.”

  “B… oh Allison… Allison,” Tina stammered, afraid she’d lost her.

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t say anything to Kimmie… you know… about what I told you.”

  Tina reached the entrance to the clinic and paused to finish her conversation with Allison before she went back inside.

  “Well, you really didn’t tell me anything,” Allison replied.

  “Still,” Tina said. “She knows we’re friends. I just don’t want to start a bunch of trouble.”

  “Okay… now you are definitely going to tell me what is going on when we talk.”

  “I will,” she said. “For now though, just act like we haven’t spoken or anything.”

  “All right, I will,” Allison said.

  ***

  After they hung up, Tina slipped her cell phone into the front pocket of her scrubs.
She cast a quick glance into the semi-reflective copper-tinted glass of the entrance and then grabbed the sun-warmed metal handle of the door. But, just as she pulled it open, Chuck and Max appeared before her.

  “Oh… go ahead,” Chuck said as he gestured for Tina to pass.

  “No,” she replied as she stepped back. “You guys go.”

  The brothers passed on either side of her as they exited the office. Tina turned sideways as they did. Max passed in front of her and brushed against her ample bosom. At the same time, Chuck slipped behind her and bumped against her backside. For a flicker of a second, they pinned her soft curves against their lean, hard torsos in the narrow entryway to the clinic.

  “Sorry,” Chuck said in a half-hearted tone as his palm pressed into the hourglass of Tina’s torso. He kept it there as he moved, almost as if he tested her boundaries to see what was, or wasn’t, acceptable. Whatever the case, nothing about it felt forced but instead, natural.

  Max didn’t apologize, or for that matter, speak a word. Instead, he remained silent and looked into her eyes when he passed. Tina returned a fleeting glance and as she did, the muscles of his angular, square jaw flexed in acknowledgement. A warm rush radiated out from deep between Tina’s thighs as the brothers pinned her between them.

  Her wolf bristled as the masculine musk of the twins swirled around her. Their essence slipped down through her nose and into her mouth. Tina stifled a hard swallow as her taste buds flared to life. Saliva seeped beneath the sides of her tongue as she struggled to beat her wolf back from doing something it shouldn’t.

  She imagined them twisted together, an interlocked and interwoven mesh of flesh and heat. The well-honed hard bodies arched above her and spanned beneath her as she swam in a sea of muscle, sweat and brawn. She’d run her tongue in delicate strokes along the ridges and grooves of their thick upper backs, powerful arms, chiseled abs and long, hard…

  “Thanks again, Tina.” Max said as they stood in front of her again.

  “Hmm?” she said.

  Dazed, she tightened her grip on the door handle.

  “For helping with Bosco,” he said.

  “And Kimmie,” Chuck added.

  The air conditioned breeze from inside the clinic kissed at Tina from behind. It cooled her temperature but did nothing to ease the need that stirred inside of her.

  “No problem,” she said. “I’m glad I could help. What did Doctor Hurley say about Bosco?”

  “Well, it’s gonna be about twelve weeks or so before he’s fully healed up.” Chuck said. “Doc figures six weeks of strict crate rest to start and then see how it goes after that. That’s not gonna be easy for him though. ‘Specially around the gym… He’s always in the middle of everything.”

  “Which is why he got hurt in the first place,” Max said.

  “Yeah,” Chuck nodded. “True. Anyway, we really appreciate it.”

  As Chuck finished, Max rubbed his chin. Even from several feet away, Tina heard the sandpaper-like scratch of his five o’clock shadow across his hand.

  Her mental faculties now restored to a functional state she said, “Okay, well, I’m gonna go back inside. I’ve got a few things to do before I can get out of here for the night.”

  Chuck and Max traded a quick glance with one another.

  “Then what?” Max asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean… when you’re done. What are you up to?”

  “Um… well,” Tina began. “I was going to try and make the six o’clock class but…” She paused and reconsidered the rest of her sentence. The last thing she wanted was to make any mention of Kimmie’s frosty behavior being the reason she wasn’t going to work out.

  “But?” Chuck said. With his right hand, he made a circular gesture to pry the rest from her.

  “Oh… you know, I’m just really tired,” Tina lied. “It’s been such a long week. I’m not feeling up to it.”

  If there was one thing Tina knew about both of the brothers, it was that they were enthusiastic trainers and coaches. In every class she attended, they made sure not a rep remained incomplete or a single exercise missed. And so, when she told them going to class wasn’t on her to-do list that night, well, she assumed they weren’t likely to be thrilled about it.

  “Great,” Max said without a moment’s hesitation. The brothers looked at each other and smiled. “It’s settled then.”

  Tina raised an eyebrow of suspicion at the duo. She expected they might have her doing pushups and sit-ups in the parking lot as punishment for ditching class. The last thing she anticipated was a positive response of any kind.

  “What… is settled?” Tina asked.

  “We’re taking you to dinner,” Chuck said.

  “Dinner?”

  “Yeah, is that a problem?” Max asked.

  “No… well, I… I don’t understand. Why?”

  “Do we need a reason?” Max replied.

  Tina shrugged as Chuck jingled his car keys with an expectant flip of the wrist. They remained silent as she considered their offer.

  “Okay, well, where do you want to go?” Tina asked.

  “How about Giovanni’s?” Chuck replied.

  “Hell yeah.” Max replied. “Giovanni’s is so effin’ good… Man, I would eat that pizza out of the dumpster.”

  Chuck clapped his hands together and laughed at his brother. He flipped his hair away from his eyes and raised his chin in Tina’s direction.

  “Well?” he said.

  “Oh, I…” Tina stammered. “Well, the thing is… I’ve sort of been trying to lose some weight. I’m really struggling with the workouts right now and…”

  “What?” Chuck interrupted. “You’re doing great, Tina.”

  “Yeah,” Max added. “Fucking awesome, really. And why the hell are you trying to diet anyway? You look ridiculously good as it is.”

  The compliments caught her off guard.

  “Thanks,” she said. “I really appreciate the offer…” her voice drifted off.

  “Tell you what,” Max said. “We’ll get you in there for a one-on-one session.” He paused for a second and then added, “Or… would it be more like a two-on-one session?”

  Chuck sniffed out a laugh. Tina fought hard to stifle a smile of her own.

  Max hooked his thumbs into the front pocket of his jeans. “It’s all about balance, Tina. You gotta learn to enjoy your life.”

  “Yeah, a couple of pieces of pizza won’t kill ya,” Max said. “It’s Giovannis! Come on.”

  “Look, we’re not taking ‘no’ for an answer, Tina.” Max said. “Simple as that. Now you can come with us or we can kidnap you and force you to go. Either way, you’re going.”

  “Well, I guess I should…”

  “Get your stuff?” Chuck interrupted. “We’ll wait for you in the truck. You can follow us over.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Gimme about ten minutes.”

  As they turned and walked away, Tina watched in awe. Wide, muscular shoulders draped down to asses of improbable perfection. Heat returned to Tina’s flesh once more as they sauntered across the parking lot towards Chuck’s vintage pickup.

  “Jesus…” she muttered as she fanned her face with her hand and headed back into the clinic.

  ***

  Within about twenty minutes, and just ahead of the dinner rush, they walked through the front door of Giovanni’s. Red and white checkered plastic table cloths adorned a haphazard arrangement of two and four tops in the middle of the room.

  Just as the smell of her office followed her everywhere she went, Tina imagined the pungent aroma of tomato and pizza crust lay scattered in the clothes of Giovanni’s employees every night. Delightful though it was, she figured they tired of it just as she did of her own… scent.

  “Just the tree of ya?” a dark haired woman asked from behind the hostess stand.

  “Yep.” Max nodded.

  She looked to be in her mid-sixties, short and… egg-shaped, more or less. She rocked f
rom side to side as she approached them and with a few menus tucked under her arm, she asked, “How ah you two dolls doin’?”

  “Doing fine Miss Veronica,” Max said. “How’s business?”

  “Ahh, can’t complain,” she said. Miss Veronica looked at Tina and continued. “Who’s ya friend?”

  “This is Tina…” Chuck began. “She’s new in town… never been here. We told her she didn’t know what she was missing.”

  “Yah cute.” Miss Veronica said as she winked at Tina. “Yah must be doin’ somethin’ right to get this kind ah treatment.”

  Tina smiled, a streak of red splashed across her chest as the woman’s compliment lingered in the air.

  “Well, I… Their dog got injured today. I work at the clinic and they offered to…”

  As Tina babbled, Miss Veronica’s hand extended and clutched Tina’s forearm.

  “Oh my gawd,” She said. “Bahsco? What happened to ’im?”

  Chuck interjected. “He got into an accident at the gym. He’ll be okay.”

  “Now, I told yah that wood happen… Didn’t I?” she began. “I don’t how it hasn’t happened soonah. He is such a good boy. Shame on yah two fah keepin’ him cooped in there. I…”

  Max raised his chin at Miss Veronica. “Can we… a table? You can yell at us all you want once we sit down and order.”

  “Ahhright, come wit me,” she said. A few seconds later, the three of them scooted into their chairs.

  “Maxine will be right ovah,” Miss Veronica said. “Don’t think I’m gonna fuhget about this you two… You haven’t heard the last from me.”

  As she turned and walked away she muttered, “Poor Bahsco… poor, poor boy.”

  Chuck and Max exchanged glances with one another as she left.

  “You don’t hear accents like that around here much, do you?” Tina asked. “Where’s she from anyway?”

  “Somewhere in New York, wasn’t it bro?” Max replied.