by Rose Pressey
“Wait a minute. The way you ogled Jack when you first saw him, I’m pretty sure you would have kissed him on the spot if given the opportunity. So don’t judge me.”
“I didn’t ogle him. You did,” I hissed.
“I did? I did?” She seemed stunned I’d accused her of such an act.
“Yes. You did,” I said matter-of-factly. “You were practically hanging out the window. You left drool streaks on the glass.”
“I did not,” she snorted.
“All right, whatever, you didn’t. Is that what you want to hear? I’m not going to argue with you about something so ridiculous.”
She folded her arms across her waist and regarded me with displeasure.
“If you’d accidentally bumped into his chest like I did, and he looked at you with those smoldering eyes, you would have kissed him too.” She pulled out the chair and plopped down.
“My gosh, Jen. If you need a date, I’ll fix you up.”
“No thanks.”
“What about Todd? You’re still in a committed relationship with him, right? At least you were. But when I walked in, I thought ya’ll were going to do the down-and-dirty right there on the table.” I tried to speak in a calm tone, so the tension would ease.
“It wasn’t that bad. You exaggerate. Like I told you, my relationship with Todd has been going nowhere for a long time. I don’t know about him anymore.” She stared at her plate. “He was gorgeous, wasn’t he?”
“Who, the fuzz? I guess if you like that type.” I shrugged.
“Oh, I like that type, all right. I like it a lot.”
“Apparently. Considering you flirted with him the minute he walked in the door and then I came back from downstairs to find you lip-locked with him, I’d say you more than like him. That’s lust.”
Jennifer giggled.
I wasn’t going to let her off that easy. “Tell me, what happened to Todd? Did you talk to him? Why aren’t you communicating with me anymore? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
A pained look spread across her face and then said, “You haven’t been communicating with me.”
She had a point.
“We’re still together,” she continued, “but a girl can flirt can’t she? Besides, I’m just about sick of waiting for Todd Christian to take our relationship to the next level. I’m thinking of giving him an ultimatum.”
“Just be prepared for what might happen if you do. And by the way, kissing is more than flirting,” I added.
She didn’t answer.
Apparently it took a good-looking cop to show up to get Jennifer to speak to me again. Although I was still mad at her.
“Oh, by the way, what’s this business about Jack and death threats? What the hell is going on? You care to enlighten me?” She straightened in her chair.
“Oh, it’s only Lily and more of her shenanigans.” I shrugged.
Jennifer crinkled her eyes as if she didn’t believe a word I said.
“More shenanigans, huh? I think if the police are involved it’s serious.”
I drew in a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “I’d rather not talk about it right now. Okay?”
“Fine, but you have to eventually. You can’t ignore it forever,” she said.
I nodded, glad she didn’t push the subject. “I know.”
“Thanks for the comment about Todd and the coffee, by the way. You embarrassed me in front of Detective Peters.”
Paybacks. Now maybe she knew how I felt.
“Sorry.” I grinned. “By the way, does this detective have a first name? Did you even find out that much before kissing him?”
“Stephen.” She swooned. “Anyway…” She stood. “I’m not very hungry now. I think I’ll go run those errands.”
“I guess making out ruins your appetite.” I shook my head. “I’ll see you later.”
As she waltzed out the door, I trekked off to the task at hand. Whatever the heck a cleansing bath was, I’d find out soon enough. I relished the silence as I walked through the apartment. It would be nice to have the place to myself for a while. I’d take a long bath, do some waxing maintenance and then test out my voodoo spell. I’d get rid of the curse and then contact my mother to set Jennifer straight with the truth.
Slipping out of my clothes, I added bath salts to the warm water and eased my tense body in. The warm water helped melt away the stress from the last few chaotic days. My thoughts raced. Things were so crazy, I didn’t know where to turn or what to do. I couldn’t begin to imagine why my mother had told Jennifer there wasn’t a curse. Every time I had a date, she reminded me about it, for heaven’s sake. Now she acted as if it didn’t exist. Maybe Jennifer had lied and my mother didn’t say that at all. Possibly she hadn’t even really called her. She could’ve just wanted to see my reaction.
The hot water soothed my knotted muscles and I closed my eyes. My thoughts turned to Jack. What an awful opinion he must have of me. How the heck could I change his impression of me? I just needed to be myself--fur, fangs and all. If he liked me in spite of everything, then fine. If not, still fine. In the end, we’d only just be friends anyway when the curse took hold. Yes, I should come out and tell him about being a werewolf. I’d let him know about all the other supernatural beings around him too. Let the werewolf out of the bag, so to speak. How bad could it be? All right, so it could turn out horribly, but it might be worth it. The flames from the candles around my tub flickered wildly. I didn’t know if that was a sign that my voodoo cleansing was complete, but I decided my soak had been long enough.
I slipped out of the foamy bubbles and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel. I pulled out my favorite pajamas, the ones Jennifer always made fun of with the silly-looking puppies across them. After quickly dressing, I sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed the phone from my nightstand. I would give my mother one last opportunity to explain before I worked the magic. Not that I’d be able to concentrate on voodoo with memories of the last few days racing through my mind. I punched in her number and waited. One ring, no answer. Two rings, no answer. After the sixth, I hung up. Where could she be? Maybe she was avoiding my calls. But she never avoided my calls. She was always more than happy to answer and play twenty questions.
It was dark out and a perfect spooky setting to work magic. The items glared at me as if saying Try me. Dashing across the room, I grabbed the stuff and jumped back onto the bed with all the voodoo ingredients. The use of these items wouldn’t technically reverse a curse, but they’d help protect me from it, at least according to the priestess. Whatever. Protection would work for me. I’d take what I could get.
With the items laid out on the bed, I read the directions carefully. The powder smelled a lot like cinnamon when I popped open the container. Which, when I read the contents, made sense because one of the ingredients listed was cinnamon. Mint and basil also appeared on the list. The oil would add extra strength. By the sound of this thing, I would have more protection than Fort Knox, certainly more than a Trojan condom. I gathered up the small bag, poured in the powder and the oil and then bound it with a piece of red ribbon. Focusing on the bag, I thought about protection from evil. I envisioned it and repeated the words offer me protection aloud several times. The phone rang just as I finished securing the knot, pulling me out of my trance-like state. That voodoo stuff was pretty powerful. I’d been so focused I’d almost felt detached from my body.
Perhaps I did need voodoo for good luck, because when I answered the phone and realized who it was, I knew I had the worst luck of any person, ever.
“How about that drink you promised me, sexy?” Martin tried to make his voice smooth and sultry. Instead, it sounded as if he had gravel stuck in his throat.
“Martin, I appreciate the offer, really, I do. But I would prefer that we keep our relationship purely professional. And I’m pretty sure calling me sexy is not professional. Plus I’m extremely tired.”
“Oh, right, right, right. Well…what about that drink, Miss Cruz? There’s a gr
eat bar around the corner. They have the best screwdrivers I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot.” His heavy breathing sounded deafeningly loud through the receiver.
“Uh-huh, nope. You’re missing my point. While that is tempting, no thanks.” Sarcasm dripped from my words. “And by the way, how’d you get my home phone number?”
I gathered up the voodoo paraphernalia and stuck it in the corner of my dresser drawer.
“Um, Jack gave it to me. I’ve been waiting outside your office all day, keeping an eye out for you, just like he asked me to. Until Lily ran me off, of course.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be protecting me from her? If she ran you off, then you’re not doing your job, now are you?” It was a good thing I really wasn’t relying on him for protection.
“Well, I knew you were safe in the building.” Uh-huh. I doubt he’d ever get a job with the Secret Service. And I hadn’t been safe, something he wasn’t even aware of.
“Fine, anyway…I have a lot of things to do, so I’ll just have to take a rain check on that drink.” A day from never would be a good time.
“Oh.” He sounded deflated. “Sure, um…some other time. Thanks, anyway. I’ll talk to you later. Tell your friend I did watch after you, would you?”
“I’ll make sure to tell him, don’t worry,” I lied. If Jack bothered to ask, I’d tell the truth: Martin hadn’t been an ideal bodyguard.
After I hung up, I crawled under the sheets. Talk about a bizarre day. I ignored the strangeness of everything as I pulled the covers under my chin. The voodoo thingy hadn’t been completed, but it would have to wait until another time. I’d had all the craziness I could handle for one day.
Chapter 18
How to Date a Werewolf Rule # 18:
Don’t mention Zoloft or a mental institution. They are not cures for lycanthropy.
My bedroom always felt like a refuge to me. My comfortable bed with its oversized fluffy comforter made falling asleep easy--most of the time. The cheerful yellow walls and tall window lifted my spirits--most of the time. The place was old, but that only added to the character. It was never easy for me to get out of bed, and this morning, it wasn’t just because of the comfortable room. After everything that had happened as of late, I didn’t know what the day ahead held, and my tension mounted. Without a doubt, things would be better if I hid under the covers for a month. Maybe then everything would be back to the way it was: boring but happy. With the sun pouring through the small opening of the curtains and work waiting for me downstairs, I had no choice but to haul my lazy butt up. Within an hour, I was dressed and ready for the day. Well, as ready as I ever would be.
Since tonight a full moon would make an appearance, and I planned to hide away up in my bedroom, I would have to knock off work early. I didn’t want to scare Jennifer with my wolfy appearance--or my disgusting eating habits, for that matter--while I was in animal form.
As I ambled through the apartment toward the kitchen, an eerie silence filled the air. No singsong voice to greet me over coffee. I grabbed a mug, poured my steaming liquid and snatched my purse. Apparently Jennifer had already skedaddled for the day, because she was nowhere in sight. The thought crossed my mind she was avoiding me. I started out the front door, and had traveled halfway down the stairs when I noticed the main entry door open. I scanned the area looking for a werewolf or some other whacked-out person waiting to attack me.
I eased down the rest of the stairs. Nothing or no one was in sight, only the usual activity of people walking by out front. I did notice the clear beautiful sky outside added a spring to everyone’s step, but not mine. In spite of the picturesque day, I couldn’t quite shake the foreboding feeling nestled deep in the pit of my stomach. Lily must be ramping up her antics as the full moon approached--it figured. I opened the door to my office with caution. The room was still. My gaze scanned the area. No one there. The light blinked wildly on the phone letting me know I had a message. I walked over and pressed the button, then held my breath waiting for bad news. It was nothing more than someone wanting a brochure. Thank God. The wind must have knocked the door open.
The day and work passed by swiftly with nothing abnormal taking place. How that happened, I wasn’t sure. Just the normal matchmaking deals--very few. A witch here, a vampire phone call there, with a few non-paranormal folks thrown in. When the hour hand on the clock finally clicked around to almost quitting time, what I thought was Lily’s voice echoed from right outside my window. The day wasn’t going to be normal, after all. Had she returned with another sign? I hoped Lily didn’t try to attack me again. To be truthful, though, after the visit from the police yesterday, I’d almost expected a little visit from her. No doubt she’d be pissed when they called to question her, and I was sure they already had.
I hurried over to the window and scanned the area below. The usual sights greeted me: random people strolling by and the same old buildings. A young girl struggled to walk her dog as it ran ahead on its leash. After a few seconds, not surprisingly, Lily popped into view. It figured she was lurking. She wore leather pants and a tight red top that clashed with her hair. Once again she was visiting with Creepy Neighbor. What in the heck was going on with those two? This was the second time I’d seen them talking to each other. She gestured with her hands, and by all accounts, he appeared to be intently hanging on to her every word. Yep, Lily felt the influence of the full moon too. Bossier than ever.
As I peeked out the tall, paint-chipped window, straining my neck to see farther, Lily pointed toward my direction. I ducked my head back. She didn’t need to know I’d been spying on her. I leaned my body against the wall, praying she didn’t catch a glimpse of me. She was probably explaining to Creepy Neighbor how I’d called the police on her. Maybe I should talk to her. Explain that it wasn’t my fault the police had contacted her. Although it wasn’t as if she’d listen, because she hadn’t when I’d tried to explain the Martin situation.
Coming to my senses, I thought better of the stupid idea and decided to close up shop for the day. My mind was too distracted to work, anyway. It was five and I needed to get upstairs, prepare my food and lock myself in before twilight faded into darkness. I had plans to watch the latest Drew Barrymore movie I’d rented the other day and never got around to watching. The moon would pop out soon enough. Thankfully, with Jack out of town, I wouldn’t have to worry about hiding from him. Not that he’d want to see me after the weird bullet package fiasco, anyway. Sigh. I missed his kisses.
Not only did I want to lock myself in my bedroom well before nightfall, it was imperative I did. When the full moon edged into view, the weirdos came out from the shadows, and I didn’t want to roam the streets like the rest of those hooligans.
Feverishly, I cleaned off my desk, put away the files and grabbed my purse. That tingling feeling I always got during shape-shifting time was present. Soon my transformation would happen. Hair would grow, fangs would appear more pronounced. My glowing eyes would sparkle. I slipped out the door, making sure to turn on the security alarm and lock it. I didn’t need another break-in, not tonight. Halfway up the stairs, I overheard voices drifting from my apartment. Either Jennifer had the television on again, or she had a guest up there.
Greatness. I felt crankiness coming on. I wanted to get my meat fix and slink off to the safe confines of my bedroom--away from the mindless games of the undomesticated werewolves roaming the city. With a total stranger lounging around, it would be tough, to say the least. I needed to hurry. I hoped Jennifer knew I couldn’t chitchat with anyone tonight. The voices were muffled, but as I inched closer they became clearer. Jennifer was talking with a man whose voice seemed somehow familiar. At first, I thought it was Todd, then maybe the cop from last night. I moved a few more steps, then froze on the spot. I recognized the voice. The tone was as clear as the night sky.
It was Jack.
What was he doing talking with Jennifer in our apartment? He wasn’t even supposed to be in town. From what he’d claimed, I didn�
�t think he’d be back until tomorrow. Jack being around was the last thing I needed. I couldn’t talk to him, not now, not in my condition. Hair had already started to form on my hands. A little stubble formed on my chin as I raked my palm across it. God, I was so messed up. Jack certainly hadn’t known what he was getting involved in when he stepped into my life. I remained as quiet as possible and listened closely to make out what they were saying. Their voices were still a little muffled, so I inched closer. I leaned up against the door and prayed they wouldn’t open it and catch me eavesdropping.
“I’m so glad you were home,” Jack said.
“I just got here. I was thinking about you all day. How are you?” Jennifer’s voice sounded uneasy.
“It’s hard. My mind has been going over our dates and the time we spent together.” He paused.
What the hell was going on? My nostrils flared. My heart raced. Dates?
“I feel so badly for her,” Jack continued.
Wait. For her? Whom was he talking about? Did he mean me?
“My dates with her were fantastic and I was falling hard.”
“I do too. I had no idea even after all these years how bad she was,” Jennifer pointed out. “It just makes me want to cry. She’s such a nice person, she doesn’t deserve this.”
“Sometimes when you live with someone, you’re too close and it’s hard to see how they really are,” Jack offered his analysis.
I knew it. They were talking about me. How sneaky.
“I guess you’re right. I just wish I could have known sooner. I should’ve, though, I guess. I mean, really a werewolf? I’ve never seen her turn into a wolf. I knew it wasn’t possible. And she mentions all these other creatures too. Like vampires and witches. And she told me her client, Lily, the one who attacked her, was a werewolf too. It was the perfect opportunity the other day for her to pretend that dog was Lily in werewolf form. Heck, maybe she let the dog in herself just so you could see it attacking her.”
