by Deanna Chase
“Here, take a look for yourself.” I shoved the paper at her.
Jack stood in the same spot. The delicious scent still emanating from him reminded me of his presence. I offered a bashful grin while Jennifer examined the letter. Now I acted almost as giddy as she did.
“”You’ll be sorry”? What’s that supposed to mean?”
I smirked. “I wonder. I don’t have to tell you who wrote the note.” Stomping over to the window, I tapped on the glass and waved at Lily—as if she’d oblige my shooing hand gesture and go away. Speaking of gestures… She pumped her fist at me, flipped me the bird and continued marching.
I heaved the window up and yelled, “Your behavior is not very ladylike.” She sashayed past again. Somehow I knew she didn’t give a rat’s patootie.
“Why didn’t she hand-deliver the note to you?” Jennifer asked.
“She’s not that brave. She’s all bark, er, I mean talk.”
Lily was unreasonable. The hairs on my arms pricked up, and sprouted on my legs. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slow and steady breathing was the trick I had figured out worked best in order to calm my nerves. It was either calm down, or scare the heck out of the hot man standing in my doorway, and I couldn’t have that.
Controlling my temper had always been an issue for me. Not that I had a short fuse or anything—everyone gets upset occasionally. The problem for me was losing my temper even slightly meant growing a natural fur coat, and I did not need that. Don’t get me wrong, I’d never gotten steamed enough to change over while angry—yet—but I knew it was possible. Like I said, I only transformed during a full moon or when I absolutely had to. My poor Uncle Ernie had lost his cool and shifted many times, so I’d seen it happen. I shuddered to think what might have happened to him in the long run if not for the anger management classes. Yes, I came from a long line of werewolves, and not one of them had taught me a darn thing about practical werewolf skills. They were all bad influences. Every one of them either tried to ignore the little hairy secret, hoping it would go away, or ran around like rogues changing at the drop of a hat. I, however, decided to deal with my hairy situation in the proper manner. Everything I knew about the werewolf lifestyle, I had figured out on my own. Thanks a lot, family.
Way back when, my great-great-great-grandfather went hunting one day and stumbled upon the wrong pack of wolves. That was when the werewolf fate started for us. If only he’d had another hobby, maybe I wouldn’t be in this predicament, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, one day while sneaking his way through the forest, he came upon the mangy beasts. Although he fought them off pretty well, in the end one managed to take a whopping bite out of his leg. The rest is history.
“Looks as if you have a bit of a problem. That’s a client of yours?”
“Yes, she’s a client of mine. Well, not anymore, I guess. In my opinion, I think she needs to be a client of yours. Do you mind if I send her your way?”
He laughed. A sexy laugh. Was there anything about him that wasn’t sexy? Of course—there had to be, right?
“Maybe it’s not the client but your matchmaking abilities?” Jennifer asked, while ogling Jack.
I shot her an evil glare and chuckled nervously at Jack. Touchy subject.
“Anyway, I’d better let you enjoy the rest of your evening. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
I’d be the judge of that. He could take up as much of my time as he wanted.
“Thank you for delivering the letter. It was nice meeting you.”
“A pleasure meeting you too. I’m sure I’ll see you around, neighbor.” He smiled. Still nothing wrong with him—even his chops were perfect. With any luck, I would be seeing him around.
***
All right, so I had thought about the gorgeous Jack a few times since we met. Just a few times. I was embarrassed to admit I’d dreamed about him last night. I was shocked when I woke abruptly in the middle of the night with butterflies in my stomach. That tingling, excited feeling you get when you meet someone fantastic—you know the one I mean—had roused me from my fabulous dream.
I’d never had a reaction that strongly. At least I couldn’t remember feeling that way. And an emotion like that is not something you’d forget. My dream had been surprisingly realistic and quite sexy. I hardly knew the guy and was having passionate dreams about him.
In my dream, he’d come to my door. When I opened it, he grabbed me, whisked me into his arms and planted the longest, steamiest kiss on me I’d ever received. He then proceeded to shower me with kisses on every part of my hot exposed skin.
I didn’t sleep much after that. Who could blame me? I couldn’t stop thinking about Jack sleeping right next door. Visions of him lying in his bed, golden muscles relaxed and comfortable…waiting for me…floated through my head. Okay, I thought about my dilemma with Lily too. So sleep had not come easy. I prayed she would come to her senses when a new day dawned, and this little snafu would be over. Lily could be treacherous. Her world wasn’t filled with thoughts of puppy dogs and kittens, unless maybe she was chasing them. Deep down there was kindness somewhere in her heart. There had to be, right?
Finally, when the sun popped up over the horizon, I dragged myself from bed and started my day. After showering, I picked out my favorite sexy work ensemble in case I saw Jack again. Hey, a girl could dream. I slipped into a black pencil skirt, fitted white blouse and my favorite Gucci pumps, and staggered into the kitchen yawning.
“You’re awfully dressed up today. Special plans?” Jennifer chirped in her singsong voice when I entered the room. She sat at the table with a steaming mug in one hand and The New Orleans Times in the other.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Same old routine.” Did she somehow know about my dream? Was she psychic and I didn’t even realize? Was guilty written all over my face? She eyed me suspiciously.
“I can dress up if I want to. No need for a special occasion.”
“Maybe you’ll run into Jack today?” She smirked.
“Maybe.” I shrugged and avoided her gaze. Instead I poured orange juice into a small glass and took a sip.
“You seem a little flushed this morning. You all right?”
Finally, I glanced at her. She smiled shamelessly. “You need to go to work. Won’t you be late? Isn’t there a kitty cat that needs its shots?” I asked.
“Very funny. Don’t worry about me, I’ve got time.”
“Well, I don’t. I’m off to work. I’ll see you later.” I grabbed my bag.
“Have fun,” she squeaked as I opened the door to leave.
I clicked the door shut before she had a chance to say anything else and peeked around. No sign of Lily. To my surprise, she wasn’t camped out in front of my apartment with a protest sign in one hand and lime beer in the other.
Her expectations in the matchmaking department were highly skewed. I had hoped she’d gone home last night and realized she had seriously overstepped boundaries with her behavior. I’d find another sucker, er, man for her and make things right. But then again, I didn’t want to subject another guy to her wilder tendencies.
Lily had appeared to be a calm werewolf—only transforming during a full moon—at first. But when she told me about how often she changed, I should have known better. That was a clear sign, or should have been, that she was too high strung. The hallway was quiet, but the strange smell still permeated the air. All was normal.
I made it halfway from my door to the stairs, then froze when a low growl sounded. Maybe all wasn’t normal, after all. My ears perked and I listened. The noise came from the left, where the stairs led up to my door. I tilted my head. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, or just a dog on the street. It seemed nearby, though. Taking a few steps forward, I grabbed the banister and peered over the edge. Glowing eyes stared back at me from the corner at the bottom of the stairs.
“Are you friggin’ kidding me? So it’s going to be one of those days again. I’ll have you know I just got a manicure two days ago—
a pretty pink color. Now they’ll be ruined when I take your mangy butt out of here by the nape of your ugly reddish-brown neck.”
Tossing my purse into the corner, I stormed down the stairs on a mission. When I reached the bottom, the pathetic excuse for a werewolf leapt out from the shadows displaying its full set of sharp teeth.
“Oh, is that supposed to scare me?”
The beast took a stance as if alerting me that I was in for a fight. “Great. Just what I need—a fight to ruin my favorite outfit. And not to mention, get me all sweaty.”
I had no choice but transform into my werewolf self. That was the only way I could defend myself.
“All right, Lily. You want to fight me? I’ll fight you. Bring it.” I motioned for her to come closer.
Lily growled louder. The fugly gold and rhinestone necklace dangling from her neck that said Martin’s gave her identity away. Lily was petite, but she packed a powerful punch. Anytime she came near it was as if a menacing tornado swirled through and left you dazed and confused.
“Is this really what you want? Do you think fighting will make things better? Somehow all your problems will disappear?”
She smiled, exposing her intimidating, gleaming fangs. I bet you’ve never seen a smiling werewolf before.
“All right, all right. Can’t we settle this like civilized werewolves?” Yes, believe it or not, werewolves can be civilized—not mere wild beasts chasing humans every chance we get. Well, at least the majority of us weren’t unruly—others were heathens. She snarled again, even louder.
“Fine then, let’s at least take it outside. I don’t want to get the foyer messy, because fur’s going to fly, and it won’t be mine. I gotta tell ya, Lily, I hate to take it to this level, but you leave me no choice.” What if a customer came in and saw two werewolves rolling around on the floor? “Let’s take it out back to the fenced-in area. No one will see us there.” At least I hoped not.
The second time I suggested taking our brawl outside was the last straw for her I guess. It really set her off. In one fluid motion she pounced on me. I didn’t have time to shift to defend myself. It would be a tough fight unless I could change over. I raised my arms to keep her at bay while trying to alter myself. She was on top of me and trying to position her head in order to sink her canines into my throat. With her fur in my eyes, I found it difficult to focus. Broken heart or not, I wasn’t such a softie for Lily anymore.
“Lily, you should invest in mouth rinse,” I gasped while trying to push her face away from mine. She let out another deep growl.
Her paws made contact with my neck. Possibly she wanted to choke me before ripping my throat out. Her body felt heavy on top of mine. I pushed at her stomach for leverage to toss her off, but she didn’t budge. The heat from her body made sweat form on my face.
“Have you been lifting weights?” I grunted.
She was tougher than her petite frame appeared. I couldn’t act fearful and give her the upper hand. She needed to see I was just as tough—maybe tougher. But finding my forcefulness proved to be difficult. Being on top of me provided her the upper hand, even if I didn’t want to admit it. Inhaling deeply, I prepared to shove with all of my might. It was do-or-die time.
Bright sunlight flooded the area when the front door cracked open. The next thing I knew, a male voice yelled, “Let her go. Shoo. Let her go. Shoo.” Jack appeared in the doorway.
If he only knew he was shooing a werewolf. He yanked on Lily’s shoulders with his full strength. My knight in shining armor. So brave and good-looking.
Everything at that moment flashed by in a blur. Lily tumbled backward and landed on top of Jack. The next thing I knew, Lily scrambled up. She was skittish around human men, which was why she came to me for help in the first place. Jack stumbled to his feet, swayed and almost fell. He landed against the wall with a thud, but managed to remain upright. After knocking the door out of her way with her paw, Lily scuttled out onto the sidewalk and took off in a lope.
“My God, are you all right?” Jack panted as he gasped the words.
He dashed for the door and peered out looking for the mad dog, but Lily was probably long gone. Jumping up quickly, I brushed off my skirt and blouse. Jack stood, speechless, staring at me. What would he say? Had he noticed the abnormal size of the creature attacking me?
“What the hell was that? A coyote or a dog? It was incredibly big. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog that big.” He leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. I think the sight of a huge hairy creature knocked the wind right out of him.
“Oh, it was only a really big dog. A mutt. I’ve seen dogs larger than that one.” I tried to brush off his concerns, but I sounded too nonchalant.
“Did it bite you? Do you need to go to the hospital? You seem awfully calm for being attacked by a dog.” He looked me up and down, which made me somewhat self-conscious. He did have a point, however. I was calm for a girl who’d almost been eaten alive.
“No. No. I’ll be fine. It’s only a little scratch. I am a bit freaked, though.” A tiny bit of blood leaked from the scrape on my hand. The last thing I needed was to go to the hospital. Every time the doctor made me open up to say ahh he would comment on my sharp canines. That was more than a little embarrassing. Plus, they’d question me about the mysterious beast that had attacked me.
“How did it get in the building?” Jack asked, still confused.
“I’m not sure. It was here when I came down the stairs. The thing surprised me, or I surprised it, I’m not sure which.” I was shockingly good at the lying thing, which probably wasn’t good. But there was no way I could tell him the truth.
A concerned look spread across Jack’s face that made my stomach twist.
He scrunched his brows. “If you’re sure you’re all right, I guess I’ll get back to my office. We need to make sure we keep this door shut, I guess.” Jack closed the door, jiggling the knob to make sure it stuck.
I nodded, a little bummed that my run-in with Jack had been spoiled by crazy-assed Lily. She was a thorn in my side.
Jack stepped closer. I caught my breath and jumped back. I hadn’t expected him to come so close. “I was going to open the door for you.” A little glimmer flashed in his eyes when he grinned.
“Oh, sure. Right. Right.” I couldn’t believe I’d jumped back like a complete idiot. What did I think? He was going to kiss me or something? I moved slightly to my left and looked down for a split second. That’s when I noticed my hand covered in fur—freaking fur. Loads of awful hair. All right, don’t panic, I reminded myself.
Getting rid of Jack before he saw my fuzzy appendage was now top priority. Apparently my transformation began when he stopped Lily’s attack. It would take a few minutes of no excitement before the fur would go away. And no excitement would mean Jack as far away from me as possible.
I stuck my hand behind my back and said, “I don’t want to hold you up any longer. I’ll be fine. Thank you so much.”
“Here, let me get the door for yo—”
“No.” All right. I had just screamed at him. I hoped I didn’t damage his hearing with my high-pitched squeal.
Jack lowered his hand and backed away. “I’m sorry. I’ll let you get to work then.”
I hadn’t meant to sound quite so panicked. He spun on his heels and hurried across the foyer, but not before looking back. He gave a confused stare, then disappeared into his office. I entered my workspace and let out a deep sigh. With my shoulders slumped, I leaned against the door and stared down at my hand. I should have known better than to think I could possess any interest in a human. While I stood there savoring some tasty self-pity, a loud knock came at my door. Then a huge thud, followed by rattling.
“What the hell?” I screamed as I fell to the ground, pushed forward by the blast of the opening door.
Chapter 3
How to Date a Werewolf Rule # 3:
Never underestimate the strength of a werewolf.
“Where the hell is he?” a deep voice bellowed.
There I was minding my own business, trying to calm down from the disastrous events of the morning. Then some burly hoodlum burst in from out of nowhere, smashing my door down.
I scrambled for the chair, the hardwood planks scraping my legs when I pulled myself up. With my frustration flaring, I glanced down at my hand. The coarse hair that had been fading was quickly returning.
“I asked you, where the hell is he?” He craned his head around, scanning the area. He hadn’t even looked at me. Rude beefy guy obviously had the wrong office.
“First off, who the hell are you looking for?” My other hand tingled with hair growth. The situation might get tricky in next to no time if he kept up his overambitious demeanor. Maybe I should have been more afraid, but my anger won out.
“Well. Well. Well. What have we here?” The rubber bottoms of his big black boots squeaked on the hardwood when he stopped in front of me. He glared and licked his cracked lips.
Mr. Tough Guy rubbed me the wrong way.
He stepped closer, then hesitated before releasing another wicked leer my way. “You sure are a pretty young thing.”
Rage bubbled inside me. There was no way I could hold back what was about to happen. My mouth felt dry and my teeth grew. Two big canines poked my tongue like pointy daggers. Not that attractive, I know, but a fact, nonetheless.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
He didn’t answer, an iniquitous sneer his expression of choice. Bad news was written all over his wrinkled face.
“Who are you?” I pressed.
“The name’s Charlie, sweetheart. I’m your friendly neighborhood…” He paused and scrunched his face. By the pained grimace, I knew thinking wasn’t something he did often. Did he even know who he was?
“Collector. Yeah, call me a collector.” He leaned against my shelf and curved his lips into a sneer as if he was immensely proud of his clever title.
“A collector. A collector of what? Seashells? Stamps? Dolls?” I smirked. My hands itched as they became fully covered in hair. I had furry gloves. So unattractive.
