by Rose Pressey
“I heard you the first time. Stop saying that. Why, if you love me, would you harass me like you have? You don’t harass the ones you love.” Maybe where he came from they did.
He gave me a blank stare and then said, “No harm, no foul, right?”
“Wait a minute. Who were the men in the dark suits? Did you have anything to do with them?”
Bob and Tom coughed at the same time. “Um, that’s us. In human form, of course.”
“You’re the men in black?” I said.
“No.” Bob chuckled. “We just thought it would be fun to dress like that.” Both of them snickered.
I was not amused. “Were you the one sending the bullets too?” I asked Martin.
He let a slow evil smile escape his lips. “I did. I’m sorry. I just wanted you to love me. To love me the way I love you. When I first came to see you and you fixed me up with Lily, it was you I wanted. You are mesmerizing. I only went out with Lily so I could see you again. I figured when I came to you and told you it hadn’t worked out with her, you’d want to find someone else for me. Then I could convince you I was the perfect person for you. I am the werewolf of your dreams.”
“Hardly,” I said dryly.
“Then that jerk came into your life, and let me tell you, I was pissed. I figured if I scared you, then I could be the one protecting you and you’d fall in love with me. I just needed to get that loser out of the way. Which, by the way, was easier to do than I thought. Jack and I had a little conversation and he explained how he thought you were suffering from a mental illness. So…I may have let him believe I thought you were responsible for the packages with the bullets. Let me add, he did not find the bullets amusing, not in the least. Plus I told him you broke into your own office. That I saw you do it.”
“I’ll kill you.” I lunged at him in that split second. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted blood. I could taste it, salty and metallic. Martin had harassed me and now he made me appear crazy, there would be no stopping me. My tolerance level was shot. Gone. Flown the coop. I went for his throat. I made a huge leap and straddled him right there in the alleyway, placing my paws around his bony neck. If anyone saw the display, it probably appeared like two dogs fighting to the death. Except I was the one fighting, and Martin was somewhat enjoying me being on top of him. I could tell by the disgusting smirk on his face. The pervert. The two goons scampered over and pulled me off Martin.
“Come on, Rylie. It’s not very ladylike to fight,” Bob said. They held me back, restraining me.
I yanked my arms away from them. “Oh, shut up. What the hell do you know about being ladylike? I am so pissed at you, Martin. I want you to apologize and tell everyone the truth. I’m going to tell Jack everything about my werewolf life. I’m sick of hiding things. I will make it work, somehow. I’ll get rid of the curse too.”
“The curse?” Tom and Bob said in unison.
“Oh, never mind,” I screeched.
“I’m really sorry, Rylie. I never meant for it to turn out like this. I never wanted to really hurt you. My intentions were good, honest. I just wanted to go out with you,” Martin pleaded. He stood against the brick wall, his eyes like saucers. No doubt he waited for me to pounce again.
“Why on earth would I want to date you after you did such a thing to me? You are in so much trouble, buddy. I’m going to the pack police and file a restraining order against your ass.” I stood mere inches from his bony body and poked him in the chest with my finger. “So I suggest you leave me alone. You’ll be sorry if you don’t,” I huffed.
With one swift movement, Martin aimed a gun at my chest. I froze with my hand in midair. His move was not exactly what I had expected. My problems were certainly now bigger than Lily, Jack and Jennifer. My life flashed before my eyes. Seriously. I know people say that all the time, but it did. How was I supposed to react? I couldn’t run--he’d shoot me in the back. I cast my eyes over at Tom and Bob. They stood motionless, their eyes wide.
“Martin, dude, what are you doing?”
“Shut up, dumbasses.”
I glanced at them again. They frowned at the insult.
“If I can’t have you, no one can,” Martin growled.
Oh God. My life really was like a bad horror flick. We stood--all four of us--frozen in time. No one knew what move to make next. As I was about to agree to go out with Martin to save my life, Tom leapt forward and pounced on him. Everything moved in slow motion. They fell and the gun flew from his hand. Bob rushed over and retrieved the weapon. Tom and Martin rolled on the ground.
“Stop,” Bob demanded, pointing the gun at Martin.
I guess he wasn’t as much of a coward as I’d thought. They froze. Tom fumbled up and stood in front of me, stretching his hands out. He was protecting me from Martin. I couldn’t believe it. Why would he do that? After all of the harassment, I doubted they’d turned to my side. There was no time to contemplate what their motives were, though. Martin stared. His eyes were frozen like a deer caught in a car’s headlights. His mouth quivered--I knew he was furious. Would Bob shoot him?
I didn’t have to debate that question long. Martin took off in a sprint and neither Bob nor Tom followed.
“Are you all right?” Bob asked.
“I’m fine other than being stunned. I almost died.”
“We wouldn’t let that happen.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Like we said, you’re too pretty.”
Lame reason, but I was thankful they thought so. Otherwise I’d be toast. I looked around for any sign of Martin. I was still paranoid he’d return.
“I gotta get out of here,” I said. “I’ll repay you all somehow.”
“I’m sure we can think of some way for you to show your gratitude,” Tom said, then showed a toothy grin.
Swiftly, I turned around and padded out of the alley, ignoring his creepy comment. I never turned to see if Tom and Bob followed. I felt their eyes boring a giant crater into my back, though. I owed them for saving me, although maybe they were right--we were even. I held back tears--I would not cry. My body trembled as visions of the black barrel pointed in my direction ran through my mind. He’d tried to kill me. And then he just ran off like a coward. I’d come to a decision, though. When day broke, I would tell Jack everything, and I meant all the gruesome details. I’d made up my mind, and I’d take my chances on the outcome. What did I have to lose? There would be no looking back. I was sick of living a lie. The intense heat inside me was almost unbearable--I was livid. If I’d learned one thing from the mess I’d been wrapped up in, it was I didn’t need a relationship to be happy. I had to stop living for others’ feelings and do what was right for me. But in some way, deep down, I realized I was afraid of not being wanted--not being loved. It was better to have a curse than to be rejected. What Jennifer had said about past dates was right--I’d never tried to let them work. I suppose I was the last person who should be offering dating advice--much less running a matchmaking service.
Passing by a café, I noticed the clock on the wall. It was midnight and I still had hours until daybreak. My insides were seething from my recent discovery. Would Martin come after me again? I prayed they’d lock him up and throw away the key. All that time, I thought the harassment was Lily’s handiwork when in reality Martin was the evil one responsible. He’d almost killed me. So many things had happened. I’d considered other people responsible--Lily, and the boneheads looking for Uncle Ernie. I still didn’t know why they wanted Ernie.
After all my walking around the city streets, I still hadn’t spotted a payphone. My stomach rumbled. I needed food, but with hair covering every inch of my body and no money, I didn’t see how that would be possible. The freaks truly came out on a full moon and I was one of them. Werewolves weren’t the only creatures roaming the streets. The vampires were out in full force too, looking for fresh blood.
As I made my way through another dark and narrow alley, headed closer to my office, I passed the back entrance of a small restaur
ant. On the back steps that led into the kitchen sat a werewolf. He wore an old baseball cap turned backward, and his black fur shone in the moonlight. I bet my fur didn’t look that healthy--stress will do that to you.
“Hey,” he said as I trudged by, “why you look so glum? Things can’t be all that bad.”
“Hi.” I felt a little leery talking to strangers after my awful ordeal.
“Looks like man troubles.” Why did everyone assume I had man troubles? Did I have a sign on my forehead? Although, he was right, my problem was man troubles--and the fact I was hungry. I stopped walking for a second to enjoy the smell wafting from the restaurant’s kitchen. I inhaled the rich aroma of steak, mixed with veggies and cheeses. Oh, I really was starving.
“Looks as if you’ve had a rough night,” he said. Wonder if it was it the matted fur that gave it away or my stinky smell?
“It has been a long night. I’m just hanging out waiting for the sun to come out so I can go home.”
“Someone doesn’t know you’re a werewolf,” he stated. Was he psychic or what?
I nodded. “Yeah, I usually lock myself in the bedroom on full moon nights. I don’t like to get involved in the crazy antics on evenings like these.”
“It’s not all bad. You just have to watch where you go. Say, are you hungry? You look hungry,” he said.
My stomach rumbled when he mentioned food. I didn’t have money, though, which really sucked. I wished I had one of those ugly fanny packs to carry around my waist.
I shook my head and said, “Yeah, but I didn’t exactly bring my purse along, no money.” I held my paws out to show him they were empty.
“I’m the chef here…well, on nights that I’m not a werewolf. Too much hair to cook tonight.” He chuckled. “They don’t make full body hairnets.”
I laughed. I’d never thought of that. “I guess not.”
“I can get the chef on duty to whip something up for you. My treat.” He gave me a lopsided smile.
“I wouldn’t feel right doing that.” I shifted my paws. I really was hungry, but my pride stood in the way.
“Why not? Can’t a guy do a good deed once in a while?” For a split second I wondered why he was being so nice to me, and then I remembered there were still a few nice werewolves in the world.
“I guess so. Please don’t go to any trouble, though. Just a little something will be fine.” He didn’t need to twist my arm much to get me to say yes. My mouth salivated thinking about it, and my pride vanished.
“I think the special of the evening was roast beef with a side of vegetables. Would that work for you?” he offered with a smile.
Anything would work for me. At any moment, my stomach would eat itself. “That would be great,” I said.
“Have a seat on the step here. I’ll tell him.” He jumped up and poked his head in the back screen door.
As he spoke with the man in the kitchen, I took a spot on the steps and waited. After a couple of minutes, he returned with a wonderful-smelling plate of food. A heaping helping too. I could hardly wait to sink my teeth in.
“Here you go. I hope you like peas and carrots.” He handed me the plate and fork as he sat beside me on the step.
“Thank you so much. I really was starving.” I awkwardly took the plate.
“I could tell. Your nose twitched like crazy as you walked by.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. “Oh gosh, that is embarrassing. I don’t hide things very well.”
He laughed. His hazel eyes twinkled when he smiled. “Don’t worry about it. It happens to all of us. Every time I get near chocolate cake my sniffer goes nuts. My name is Dave Fuentes, by the way.”
“I’m Rylie Cruz. It’s nice to meet you, Dave.” I stuck out my paw and he padded mine with his. It’s kind of hard to shake hands with paws. Likewise eat with the fork. Hard to hold it with no thumbs. I’m sure Dave forgot when he handed it to me. How he held it, I had no idea.
As I took my paws and munched on the beef, Dave began chatting away. Everything from the weather, his job to ex-girlfriend, a no-good werecat—his words, not mine. He was a chatterbox.
I cut in, trying to add to the one-sided conversation. I didn’t want to appear rude. “So how long have you been working here?”
“About two years. I came here from Mississippi.”
“That’s cool. Do you have family here?” I asked, wiping my muzzle with my paw.
A sad look drifted across his face. “No.”
I didn’t ask for further details. By the expression on his face, I knew it wasn’t something he cared to discuss.
“What do you do for a living, Rylie?”
“I own Get a Mate dating service,” I mumbled between bites of food. He probably thought I hadn’t eaten in days. Running burns a ton of calories.
“Really. Oh. My. God. Can you fix me up? The last girl I went out with was such a drama queen.”
“Oh no, that’s not good. I’m sick of drama.” I laughed with my mouth full of food. “I can fix you up, no problem. Give me a call in a couple of days.”
“I’ll do that.”
“I’ll find the perfect girl for you.” I stuffed the last bite of food in my mouth. “I can’t thank you enough for the food. I’ll repay you for your hospitality. I’ll find you the best date ever, and I’ll even pay for the two of you to have dinner. As long as it’s any restaurant other than this one.” I inclined my head toward the building. “You need a break from this place. I mean, for heaven’s sake, you’re sitting here tonight even when you don’t have to.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Oh, but I want to. You were so kind to give me the food. It was delicious, by the way. Please give my approval to the chef. You’re a nice guy. You didn’t have to help me, but you did. Now, take my offer.”
“All right, if you insist.”
“I do.” I giggled.
“And I’ll make sure and give the chef your message. But my cooking is better, by the way.” He winked.
“I’d better get going.” I glanced at the clock visible in the kitchen behind us. “It’s after one. I’m going to make my way back to the office and hang out there until daybreak. I’ll just hide somewhere. My neighbors have a nice dark patio with a comfy-looking lounge chair.”
“Are you sure you’ll be all right? You’re welcome to hang out here with me.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m a pretty tough cookie when I have to be. I really need to get some sleep. And like I said, I’ll find you the most awesome date you’ve ever had.”
After the recent mess, I probably shouldn’t have been so confident, but he seemed like such a nice guy, he deserved a great woman.
“I’ll talk to you soon?”
“Yes, you will.” He nodded. “And take care, Rylie. Be safe.”
“I will.” I waved my paw as I ambled off.
This time I stayed on the back streets and alleys to avoid the stares from humans. They were always shocked at my size, since they thought I was a dog. A couple of werewolves approached me from the opposite direction. If they attacked me, I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to fight them after everything else I’d been through. Their eyes focused on me and I tried to move as far to the other side of the alley as I could. I tried to avoid eye contact. But despite not wanting to acknowledge them, sheer habit made me look over at them.
“Hola, mamasita.” The fawn-colored werewolf licked his lips.
“Looking good tonight.” Both of them leered at me.
Was he kidding me? I was dirty and all hairy. How could he even know what I looked like when in human form? I tried to give them the one finger salute, but it didn’t quite work as well with a paw. Luckily, they passed me by and didn’t harass me any further.
After passing a handful of wild folks, I finally made my way back to the neighbors’ place. I knew they were out of town. I’d rest on their patio until morning, and then I’d be safe to head back inside, I hoped. I needed time to rest and think about what I was going
to say to Jack, anyway. I slipped into the courtyard and crawled onto the lounge chair. The cushion felt so good to my aching muscles. I stared up at the stars and wondered if I’d be able to fall asleep outside without a blanket or even a sheet to curl up under. I’d never been much for roughing it. I was definitely getting back to nature tonight. I shut my eyelids and drifted off.
* * * *
“Hey there, sexy. Looking good. Yay, mama.”
The next thing I knew, I was roused from sleep by someone yelling at me. It was Creepy Neighbor, Phil.
What the hell? Why was he talking to me like that? Oh. My. God. I forgot I was nude. He was ogling me. I covered my chest with my arms and jumped up from the lounger where I’d fallen asleep.
“Stop staring at me, you pervert. I’m going to come up there and gouge your eyes out.” Not being a morning person, I didn’t allow him any leeway in his behavior. I scanned the area and spotted a newspaper on the ground, so I held the pages in front of me.
“Leave my man alone, you bitch. Isn’t it enough you ruined my last relationship? I want you to stay out of this one. If I have to, I’ll make you.”
“Lily? What are you doing up there?” Lily stood, hands on her hips, perched on the balcony with scumbag Phil. Color me befuddled.
She laced her arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. “We’re a couple now. I don’t need your help finding a mate. I have one. You are the worst matchmaker who ever walked the face of the earth.” She glowered at me.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn’t know what to say.
Actually, though, now that I thought about it, they were a match made in heaven. I missed my match-up calling with those two. I was slipping in my work--my fear was true.
“And stay away from my Philly Bear,” Lily declared.
All right, I was officially in the Twilight Zone.
“Don’t worry, honey, I don’t want your man. I don’t intend to try and fix you up with anyone else, either.” I yelled, forgetting the neighborhood might hear me and I stood in my birthday suit.
“Then why are you standing there with nothing but newspaper covering you, letting him ogle you?”
