by Rose Pressey
“I’m aware.” What was I going to do? If Lily found out she’d go even more bat shit crazy than she already was. She’d have my head on a platter. I felt the overwhelming urge to get him out of my office in a jiffy. I glanced over my shoulder out the window to see if Lily was anywhere in sight. Thankfully, there was no sign of her. At least I had an easy way out. “I’m sorry, Martin. I don’t date my clients.”
His face drooped. “I could not be your client. I mean, technically, since things didn’t work out with Lily, I’m not a client anymore.”
Where the hell was my appointment? Of all the times to be late when I needed them the most. Someone save me from the insanity.
“I’m sorry, Martin. It just wouldn’t work. It’s my policy, you understand.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
The bummed look on his face was not fun to see, but there was no way I could or would date him. Besides, I had Jack to think about at the moment, and all my spare time was filled with thoughts of his hot body and gorgeous face.
“Sorry for bothering you.” Martin jumped from the chair and dashed to the door. He stumbled on the rug on his way out, but managed to remain upright. Before I could say another word, my next client walked through the door, and Martin was already on the street. Maybe I’d find someone for him, anyway, or at the very least I’d try. I scribbled a note down to remind myself to find a replacement for Lily. If I did that, maybe he’d never ask me out again. Hell, maybe if I found another love for Lily she’d leave me alone too.
* * * *
Hours passed--only a few minutes remained before time to close up for the day when another unexpected knock rattled the door.
“Come in.” Again, it was risky for me to keep allowing people to enter. I needed a better system. After so long without having to worry about who came in, it took getting used to. It was hard being guarded.
A man dressed in jeans and white t-shirt with long hair appeared in the doorway. In his hands he held the most beautiful bouquet of red roses I’d ever seen. Red was my favorite.
“Delivery for Rylie Cruz.”
“I’m Rylie, thank you.”
“Where do you want them?”
“On my desk, please. Thank you, again.” I rummaged through my drawer and found cash stuffed between a Milky Way bar and a marker.
He set the vase on my desk and I handed him the few crumpled-up dollars.
“Have a good day,” he said.
I really would now. Maybe things were turning around. I had Jack--even for a short time--and I was sure the roses were from him.
“Thank you. You too.” I waved. With that, he was gone.
I didn’t waste any time pulling at the note on the pick like a kid on Christmas morning ripping into a package. I sniffed the flowers as I opened the envelope.
No signature was on the note and it simply read: I’m thinking of you. Until we meet again...
Chapter 8
How to Date a Werewolf Rule # 8:
Werewolves need to feel sexy too.
“If he sent you roses, things are getting serious. Guys only send roses when they are into you. He’s really into you. Damn it. I bet you’ll be married before I am.” Jennifer sat in front of my desk with her arms crossed, pouting and waiting for me to finish up my work so we could trot off on the little shopping excursion she maintained was completely necessary.
The way she behaved, she’d be planning my wedding soon. She already had me buying the honeymoon lingerie. She needed to spend more time with Todd, or I needed to find her someone new. I didn’t care which. Especially since she already had me getting married to Jack after one date and a bunch of roses.
“I am not marrying him. I just met him. It can’t be getting serious. We’ve only been on one date. Plus, there’s the curse thing.”
“Ugh. If I hear about that stupid curse one more time...”
“Fine. I’m just sayin’. This thing with Jack can’t be serious.” I shoved a file in the cabinet and grabbed my purse.
“Let me be the judge of that. You’re obviously in no shape to make such decisions.”
“What do you mean I’m in no shape to make a decision? I’m the one dating him. You act as if I’m a mental patient. I’m a werewolf. Big difference, thank you very much.” We walked to the door side by side. I motioned for her to go out first, then locked the door behind us.
“You also think there’s a curse on you,” she said as we trailed down the sidewalk toward the car.
“I’m beginning to think you don’t believe what I tell you.” I climbed in her car and slammed the door.
“No, it’s not that. Look, let’s not fight.” The pink Bug purred to life and she steered onto the street.
I buckled my seat belt. “I’m not fighting with you. When I fight, I grow hair. See, no hair.” I held up my hand for her to examine. “You’ll be the first to know if it gets serious with him, I promise.”
Jennifer glanced at me. I smiled and she grinned back. We couldn’t stay mad at each other for very long.
The nearest lingerie joint was a short distance from the French Quarter at the local mall. We pulled onto the highway. It would be eight miles of congested traffic. This allowed Jennifer plenty of time to question me about any little particulars I may have left out about my date with Jack. I hadn’t divulged how fantastic a kisser he was, nor was I going to share that juicy tidbit. She’d have bridal magazines, honeymoon locations and a gown under my arm before I could say annulment. Nevertheless, somehow she knew I kept something from her.
“So is there anything else you left out about last night? Are you withholding important information from me?” she asked as she navigated the streets heading away from the city.
“Nope.” I shook my head. “I think that’s about everything. Nothing left to share, sorry. I have nothing more to say.” I examined my nails.
“Do you want to tell me about the werewolves again?”
“Not so much, no,” I said.
“Come on. You’re no fun.” She puffed out her lower lip.
Turning my gaze to the window, I studied the crowded streets and passing cars. All the while Jennifer chatted about Todd. About how she’d stopped trying to get him into a jewelry store, blah, blah, blah. I halfway tuned her out.
When I flipped down the mirror on the visor to reapply my lip gloss, I noticed a car following dangerously close to us. It was practically on our bumper.
“I think someone is following us.” I whipped my head around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash.
“What? What makes you say that? Are you sure?” She glanced in her rear-view mirror.
“Yes. Unless you’re towing a car and didn’t know it. Or they’re a seriously bad driver. I’ve never seen a car follow that closely before.”
“I can’t breathe,” she said.
“Wait. I’ve seen that car before. That’s the same black sedan from across the street when we left the apartment. I remember noticing how nice it was.”
Other cars flanked us. We had nowhere to go.
“You’ll have to speed up. We’re boxed in.”
What would happen if we stopped at a light? Would the driver jump out and attack us? Shoot us? Who was the lunatic behind the wheel?
“I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do. Please tell me you don’t see a crazed werewolf behind the wheel. I don’t think I can deal with that like you can. I can’t handle it.”
“No, I don’t think so. Of course I can’t see all that well. The windows are tinted almost black. If only I could get a better look.”
“What do we do? Where do I go?” Jennifer bit on her lower lip.
“What else? Lose them.” I pointed toward the road in front of us. “Punch it.”
“What? What the hell? How am I supposed to lose them? We’re not freakin’ Cagney and Lacey. We’re on a very crowded street. I got cars on every side.”
A flash of us with guns and badges ran through my head. I giggled.
“This is
not funny,” she snapped.
“Would you rather pull over and invite them to dinner? We can do that if you’d like. If not, I say lose the suckers.”
“Smartass. I knew I should have made you drive. I’m not equipped to handle pressure like this. I cave under extremes such as this.” Pressure didn’t suit me, either, but did she hear me complaining?
“Listen, just calm down. Make a left at the next light and see if they really are following us. Maybe they just happened to be traveling the same path as us and they suck at driving. You know, road rage and all,” I said. My gaze remained glued to the mirror.
“Oh, good idea. I bet they’re just going to the mall too.”
A strange vibe hit me that that wasn’t the case, but I didn’t tell Jennifer.
I peered in the mirror again and let out a gasp. My fear became reality. Up ahead the light switched to red. Dear God, please don’t let this be the end.
“What? What happened?”
“Okay, don’t panic, but they have a gun.”
“A gun?” Jennifer screeched.
The weapon poked out from the window, only showing a small portion of the black steel. We waited for the light to change to green.
“Try to act calm. We won’t let on that we saw it. Take deep breaths.”
“I might pass out. How do you know it was a gun?”
“The person shoved it out the window just for a second, but I saw it. They’re trying to scare us.”
“It’s working. Oh, Rylie. I don’t want to die today. I want to be married first.”
“We have to remain calm. Breathe in. Breathe out.”
“What do they want? It’s you they want, you know.” Before I answered she continued. “You’re the one with people busting her door down.”
Neither one of us turned our heads, though I couldn’t help but glance in the mirror a few more times. All right, every second.
“If Lily is in that car, I swear I’m going to kick her skinny, furry butt. She’ll be sorry for messing with me. She’s really trying to push my buttons. I don’t care if she does have a gun. All right, I do care, but I’m still furious.”
When the signal turned green, Jennifer punched the accelerator and cut the steering wheel. For a brief period, I think we might have been on only two tires. Seriously, I’m not kidding. A teenager on the sidewalk had been happily scooting along on his skateboard when we turned the corner and came through in a blast. By the look on his face, he needed to change his underwear after that. Poor kid--he was minding his own business, and now he had dirty underpants. He held his skateboard to his chest, a look of terror flickering in his eyes.
“How much gas do you have in this thing? We could always drive to the police station. They would never follow us there.”
Jennifer swerved in and out of traffic like a lunatic. “I’m trying to lose them. You told me to. That’s what you said, lose them. Remember?” Her eyes were wide. I’d never seen her quite so determined.
She was right, though. I had told her to ditch the car behind us, but I didn’t want to die in the process.
“What the hell? If I told you to jump off a bridge, would you do that too? Do you do everything you’re told?” I grasped the dashboard, trying to hold on. Buildings swooshed by in a blur.
“I wouldn’t jump from a bridge, silly.”
“How did you learn to drive like this?” I asked.
The car followed still. There were no doubts--the vehicle was definitely tailing us.
“I took a defensive driving course once. It was a long time ago, but worth every penny, don’t you think?” She panted while sharply turning the wheel again.
“What was the final exam, jumping your car over fifty other vehicles?” I huffed. “It must have been one hell of a course. If you don’t slow down we’re going to crash. The police will probably arrest us for reckless driving. Someone probably already called them.”
“Good, then they can arrest the person following us,” she barked.
“I should start praying now.” My hand grasped the door. I held on for dear life.
Jennifer yanked on the wheel again and made a sharp right.
My pulse hammered. “If I wasn’t so scared I’d be mad at you for driving like a crazy woman.”
The faster we drove, the faster the car behind us moved. Nudging us.
“I don’t like to speed, but we really have no choice right now. I like to take my time and cruise around town. But, oh no, now we’re traveling at warp speed.”
“Apparently this thug doesn’t enjoy going out for a joyride,” I said.
Jennifer punched the accelerator again, but with the traffic, there was only so far we could go. In front of us was a delivery truck.
“Hold on,” Jennifer snapped.
“If I hold on any harder my hands will bleed.”
“There’s just enough space for my car between that truck and the SUV in front of it. If I hurry, and the lunatic behind us doesn’t change speed, I think I can slip in between the two vehicles.”
“Are you crazy? You’re going to kill us.”
“I don’t have any other options. The person behind us is going to kill us if I don’t.”
The driver behind us was in serious need of some meds.
I glanced in the side mirror. The car followed so closely it felt as if we were on a racetrack. If it had been any nearer, they would have been in our backseat. I glanced at the speedometer. With the posted speed limit of twenty-five, Jennifer drove slightly over the limit. Okay, a lot over the limit.
A car horn honked as Jennifer swerved to the left. She overcorrected and almost veered off the road and into a parked car.
“Driving under pressure isn’t easy.” Her voice grew louder.
She switched to the other lane. Thank goodness no oncoming traffic came our way. She sped up and in one swift move jerked the Bug over to the correct lane. The car practically moaned when she hit the accelerator. The truck behind us honked, but I figured even if we pissed him off it couldn’t be any worse than the nut chasing us.
I glanced in the mirror again. The car was right behind the truck, swerving and looking for an opportunity to get behind us again. The burly guy in the truck seemed to notice them too. He pumped his fist out the window, then honked. If they didn’t ease off his ass, he’d probably take care of them for us and our problem would be solved. The SUV turned off and it looked as if we now had an open opportunity to get away. But alas, the truck turned off too, and the sedan was once again on our trail.
Cars honked. Jennifer punched the gas. The sedan still tailed us, but had lost some momentum thanks to her insane driving ability.
“Oh. My. God. You’re going to kill us. As sure as I’m a werewolf, we’re going to die this afternoon. That was a red light.”
More honking. The black car attempted to run the light, but was forced to veer off to miss oncoming traffic. It narrowly escaped crashing with two vehicles before coming to rest on the sidewalk.
“It did the trick, though. Look, we lost them.” She smirked and her mouth curved at the sides, exposing her bright white teeth.
“I think I might have peed my pants a little.”
She chortled, then let out a snort. “Me too. I think you enjoyed that just a little, even though you probably would never admit it.” A totally new side to her had emerged.
“Good thing we’re headed to the mall so I can buy new underwear,” I grumbled.
Was there any other person in the world who got into a car chase while on their way to Victoria’s Secret? Leave it to me.
After our near-death experience, if I didn’t calm down, I’d surely sprout a furry tail. And I’d have to ask the sales consultants if they had panties to accommodate it. Thankfully, the rest of the drive was smooth sailing--although we were on high alert.
“I think you should contact the police, Rylie. If you don’t,” she paused, “I’m afraid I can’t drive you anywhere else. Hell, I’m afraid to be your roommate.” One little
car chase and she was up in arms, sheesh. Granted, they did have a firearm.
“I don’t know what you’re grumbling about. You seemed to handle it quite well. As a matter-of-fact, I think you enjoyed it.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes at my comment. “Rylie, they had a gun.”
“Well...it looked like a gun.”
“So was it a gun or not?” Jennifer asked.
“It looked like a gun, but everything happened so fast.” I let out a deep breath. “Let’s just put the incident behind us, all right? We lost them, it’s over. We’re safe now.”
“I’m scared for you. For us. You need to contact the police.”
“I’ll think about calling the cops, all right?”
“Are you afraid of the police?”
“No, of course not.”
Within a few seconds, we made our way to the parking lot of the spacious mall that housed Victoria’s Secret. Jennifer whipped the Bug into a space. Breathing a sigh of relief, I jumped out. We’d be safe in the mall. But beads of sweat trickled down my forehead, and I knew without looking the hair on top of my head was wildly out of control. One thing, though. I had managed to keep my cool and not let hair spread all over my body. If my locks were a mess after that ride, imagine what my tail would have looked like.
“You think you can hook me up with that defensive driving course?” I panted as we marched toward the mall. We both scanned the area. My heart rate still hadn’t reached normal. People moved about, but no one seemed to be paying attention to us.
“I’m sorry I can’t disclose the info. It’s top secret.” She laughed.
“Gotcha.” I nodded and smiled.
Jennifer scanned one section of the lot and I watched the other as we hurried along. I weaved in and out of cars like a stealth ninja warrior. All right, I kid, but I watched my back nonetheless. No signs of the car around. So far, so good. My stomach gnawed at me with the mere thought of the mystery vehicle popping up out of nowhere. Maybe it would run over us right there in the middle of shopping suburbia, or the driver would pull out the gun and shoot my ass on the spot.
