Paranormal Romance Collection: The Alpha Shifter's Desires (New Adult Shapeshifter Threesome Short Stories MFM Menage MMF BBW Billionaire)

by M. J. Parker

  He thought about pretending to be sick. He could call off work on Friday to make it seem more realistic. He had some extra sick days built up. Plus some flex-time from when he’d worked overtime a couple of weeks ago on an important project.

  Arthur would surely find that suspicious, and probably call Jeff out on his antics. He would probably also figure out that Friday was the full moon and then he’d be asking for sure why Jeff never went out on those nights. Eight years of that habit would surely seem terribly obvious the moment Jeff stood Arthur up on something important like this.

  Jeff wasn’t sure what he would do then. Out of shame, he’d never told Arthur about his condition. The only people who knew was his family. But they all lived several towns away, in more rural areas. Jeff only lived so close to the city because of his computer engineering job. He lived just far enough out though to have a forest for a backyard. But the long drive was why he would sometimes be caught unawares and have to stop along the way. That farmer with the corn field had seen him lying out there naked more than once.

  Probably thought Jeff was up to some ritual.

  All that said, none of that solved Jeff’s issue with the fact that he had yet to come up with an excuse not to go out with Arthur and Andrea.

  He could hope to get landed with some project at work that would keep him “busy” Friday night. Of course, then he’d have to go in on Saturday to actually get it done. And, knowing Arthur, he’d offer to help. So that wouldn’t work at all.

  There was, of course, the option that Jeff just told Arthur and Andrea the truth. But the mere thought of that made Jeff sick with shame and embarrassment. How was he supposed to admit that he was a werebear?

  Friday ticked nearer and nearer and Jeff’s best idea was still to call out sick.

  At lunch on Thursday, Jeff and Arthur sat outside on one of the benches in the courtyard to get some fresh air. The office space was cramped and the break room smelled like too many over-microwaved meals. The two friends made sure to sit far enough away from the group of people smoking. Three women and a man, all engrossed in their cigarettes and cell phones.

  “You know,” Jeff mused. “I still haven’t seen Andrea. If it weren’t for her picture on the staff board, I’d say you made her up.”

  “Well, I’ll have you know that I did not,” Arthur said smugly. “You’re just not looking hard enough. She comes by my work station enough. Your head must just be too buried in your own work. But that’s no matter, the three of us will have a great time tomorrow night, what with the big game and how lively the pub gets on game days.”

  Jeff nodded. “Yeah.”

  Arthur had yet to notice that Jeff’s face had gone pale as he remembered his major conflict on Friday. Arthur was too busy thinking about Andrea.

  “I’m hoping I can get her to come home with me afterwards. I don’t want to get her too drunk or anything, because that would be bad. But if we really hit it off, maybe she’ll be down to come home with me. And maybe once she’s at my house, we can go into my bedroom and…”

  Arthur’s sentence ended with a couple of grunts and a pelvic thrust. Jeff hardly acknowledged it.

  “Maybe it would be better if I let you guys go out by yourselves,” Jeff said, latching onto the shred of hope that Arthur would decide that a date with just Andrea might be preferable than a date with Andrea while his friend tagged along. Especially since Arthur was so intent on getting Andrea into bed with him.

  Arthur didn’t like the idea though. He clapped Jeff on the back. “’Course not, friend! It’s the big game! Besides, if Andrea and I are going to go long term, she needs to be able to put up with you andyou’re your awkwardness!”

  Jeff felt blood rise to his cheeks and grimaced. ‘Awkwardness’ was a light way of putting Jeff wishing he could drop off the planet every full moon.

  “Sheesh though, Arthur,” Jeff managed to cough out. “You’re already thinking of going long term with Andrea? You haven’t even gone out on one date yet.”

  “I know a woman when I see her,” Arthur said. “She’ll go long term with me.”

  Jeff rolled his eyes. Andrea was not the first woman Arthur had said that about. Half of them went long term with Arthur.

  “You’re looking a little pale, Jeff,” Arthur said.

  Jeff had once again been thinking about the next night, the full moon, and the fact that he was supposed to be going to the pub.

  “Feeling a little under the weather,” Jeff said.

  It was a lie, but one Jeff had thought of on the spot. He should jump at the chance not to have to go out the following night.

  Arthur gave him a sideways look. “I hope you’re feeling better for tomorrow, the big game, and finally seeing Andrea. You’ll see what I’ve been talking about once you see her.”

  Jeff hunched over a little. What rotten luck. He would have to play up being ill much more for Arthur to buy that he needed to stay home. He could still call out sick tomorrow.

  Jeff also wished Arthur would tone down his open lust for Andrea a little bit. He was making Jeff desire a woman in that way. And that would have to wait until Saturday night at the earliest—assuming he had a woman to do the deed with. He might have better luck with a bear the night of the full moon.

  Andrea came by Arthur’s work station late that afternoon. He was still busy at work, but she was clearly done for the day. He was happy to see her.

  “Ready for tomorrow night?” he asked her.

  She nodded and leaned against his desk, crossing her legs in a very sultry manner. “I’m really glad you invited me out,” she said. “Being new to the area and all, I don’t have a good idea of the local haunts.”

  “Trust me to show you around!” Arthur said confidently.

  “Your friend will be there, right? You said his name was Jeff?” Andrea asked.

  Arthur nodded. “Jeff should be there tomorrow night. He was looking a little pale at lunch, but he’s probably just nervous that he’ll be a third wheel. But he won’t. I’ll make sure of that.”

  Andrea laughed. “I hope you don’t make me a third wheel,” she said.

  Arthur shook his head. “I know what I’m doing.”

  Andrea shifted so that she was leaning over Arthur’s desk. He had a very good view of her low-cut shirt and cleavage underneath. She must know what she was doing, tempting him like that. This made Arthur happy though. Women who did that sort of thing before the date were much more willing to come to bed with him afterwards.

  He thought about asking her for a date part two after leaving the pub, but he thought it would be best to wait. He wouldn’t want to bet on that just yet. The date could turn out horrible and he wouldn’t want to bring Andrea home afterwards.

  But those odds were slim.

  There were plenty of rumors of what Andrea’s talents were. Arthur was fairly positive he had just scored. His challenge would be to keep her.

  The next morning, Jeff completely forgot to call out sick. He got up, dressed for work, drove to work and clocked in before he remembered that he was supposed to play up being sick. He hadn’t seen Arthur the previous afternoon, so any number of things could have theoretically happened to him to hamper his health so much that he wouldn’t be able to go out.

  He still might have a chance. He could turn around right at that very moment and tell his boss that he wasn’t actually feeling well and that he needed to go home. He could duck into the bathroom for a bit and make himself…

  He stopped himself. The amount of effort he was going through just to not go out with Arthur and Andrea that night. In all accounts, he couldn’t go out with them because it was going to be the full moon. Jeff could feel it in his bones already. The full moon would rise at sunset that night and Jeff would become a bear. Like he had done every other full moon.

  Alternatively, he couldn’t tell Arthur and Andrea what was going on. He was too embarrassed about it. Being a werebear was just not normal. Everyone liked to pretend that everyone else was norm
al. Jeff knew that he was not normal.

  He wondered, for the millionth time, how the rest of his family dealt with it. Even the other werebears in his family would eventually get married and have kids. Usually none of their kids bore the curse, because it would skip that generation and show up in the grandkids instead. The children who didn’t have the curse in that generation—like Jeff’s father—knew that one of their kids would more than likely have the curse.

  Jeff’s father had sent Jeff to live with his grandfather for a couple of years when the curse had presented itself to Jeff with the onset of puberty. Jeff had spent his childhood wondering if it would be him or his sister that got it. He supposed it was better for it to be him and not his sister. She could live a nice, quiet life that way. And become a schoolteacher, like she had always wanted to do.

  While living with his grandfather, Jeff had learned to cope with the curse. He learned how to know when it was coming, so he would have enough time to strip off his clothes and get to somewhere secluded. He learned how to hunt while in bear form, though that was less learning how to hunt and more letting the natural primal urges of the bear in him take over. His grandfather kept him from any close calls until Jeff was able to set himself up for that one night a month where he wouldn’t have any control.

  Jeff went to a different middle school than all of his friends because of that. When he rejoined them in high school, they all seemed to know that he had the curse of the werebear. He was ostracized then, no matter what he did.

  Going off to college and taking computer engineering courses had been such a relief for Jeff. The computers seemed so logical and perfect compared to his monthly rampages. He was good with computers, too, which made things easier.

  The best part, it seemed, was that no one in college knew that he was a werebear. No one knew that once a month he turned into a hairy beast that had no control of his own actions whatsoever. He was lucky enough his first two years to have a party animal of a roommate who never noticed Jeff never being around during the full moon.

  During his second two years of college, he rented out an apartment with none other than Arthur James. It had taken Arthur the better part of a year to notice Jeff disappearing every full moon. No questions were really asked after Jeff had said three months in a row that he was just busy.

  After college, Jeff and Arthur both had gotten jobs as computer engineers in the city. Jeff bought a house at the edge of the city by the forest. Arthur had gotten a high-end flat in the central part of the city. Jeff figured Arthur liked to bring the ladies there. Arthur figured that the ladies Jeff brought home—when he brought them home—enjoyed the rustic setting.

  Life went on.

  Jeff was still standing in the hallway of work, alternating between walking to the bathroom, his workstation, and the parking lot.

  In a split-second decision, he barreled towards the bathroom. On his way there, he ran into a woman coming out of the ladies’ room. She went sprawling and he reached down to help her back up instinctively, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be pretending to be sick so he could go home and not go out to the pub later that night, but instead spend it in the forest safely.

  Once she was standing, he felt his stomach sink. He recognized her face. He’d caught himself staring at her photo more than once, to convince himself she was real and not just something from Arthur’s imagination.

  Andrea Lewis. He had just run into Andrea Lewis. Of all people.

  Arthur was right; she was very beautiful. She was mostly legs. Supple, pale and firm, they were. Her brown hair hung down past her shoulders, curling ever so slightly on its way down. She had big brown eyes that were both innocent, yet inviting. Jeff doubted that her lips were naturally that shade of red, but she’d chosen a shade of lipstick that benefited her face wonderfully.

  And her breasts. Jeff could just as easily use the same adjectives for them that he’d used on her thighs. Arthur would be scoring greatly if she went home with him.

  Jeff felt a pang of jealousy that Arthur had gotten Andrea to go out on a date with him. At the same time, Jeff hadn’t been looking for a woman. The last woman he’d dated for several months had ended when there was one-too-many close calls with her being around on the full moon. He hated how his werebear condition was controlling his love life.

  The rational part of his brain told him that he would just have to explain to a woman that he was a werebear and if she stuck around, perhaps she would be the one he would marry. It’s not like he had to worry about any of his kids also being a werebear. Aside from the one night a month, he would live a normal life.

  It just made nights like tonight rough.

  And this past week, because he’d double-booked himself and spent the next several days worrying over it.

  “You’re Jeff Graves, aren’t you?” Andrea asked. Her voice was silky and her tone knowledgeable.

  Jeff nodded and stammered a “yes.”

  “Arthur said you hadn’t looked too good yesterday, I see what he meant. You’re all clammy. You’re not worried about tonight are you?”

  “Me?” Jeff grunted. “Worried? No, never!”

  That was a lie, but he couldn’t explain the reasons as to why he was worried. So he would lie.

  “So you’re not worried about being a third wheel?”

  Jeff almost laughed at his luck with that technicality. He wasn’t worried about being a third wheel at all! Where had Arthur and Andrea gotten that one?

  “No, most certainly not,” he said, his voice gaining more confidence.

  She smiled and laughed. “That’s good. But then why are you all clammy?”

  “I’m not really feeling all that well,” Jeff said. He wondered if he should cough. He didn’t want to make it look too serious. “I was actually thinking of going home early.”

  “The work day’s hardly started!” Andrea said.

  Jeff shrugged. “I probably shouldn’t have come in at all, come to think of it.”

  Andrea nodded, almost knowingly. “Well, you get rested up and if you’re feeling up to it, you can still come out with us tonight to the pub. I know Arthur’s really looking forward to all of us having fun with the big game. And, I’ve been looking forward to it too.”

  “We’ll see,” Jeff said. He thought he might actually be sick this time, so he rushed to the bathroom, leaving Andrea standing in the hallway.

  Jeff did indeed end up going home early. He didn’t even bother telling his boss. He would just go in the next day and make up his work. The Saturday shift would let him in no questions asked.

  He felt considerably better after leaving. He’d successfully avoided going out with Andrea and Arthur. He’d have to face Arthur and tell him that he’d been sick, which didn’t look like so bad of a lie after Andrea had seen him rush to the bathroom like she had. He’d managed to get off easy.

  He went about his afternoon quietly. He stayed away from social media. He worked on some of his personal coding that he was doing as a hobby. He took a nap in his hammock in the backyard. He prepared himself a hearty dinner. All would be well.

  Andrea and Arthur were in Arthur’s car. They were not heading to the pub, however. They were going instead, to Jeff’s house.

  “Are you sure Jeff won’t mind us showing up like this?” Andrea asked, looking over at Arthur. Arthur kept his eyes on the road, but gave Andrea the rest of his attention with his response.

  “Jeff’s sick, I’m sure he’ll appreciate the company.”

  Andrea frowned. She didn’t think it would be like that at all. Jeff had seemed pretty sick earlier. She thought it might just be best to let him have the night to himself. She needed to make Arthur understand this.

  “Look, Arthur, I appreciate that you care for your friend, but you also asked me to come out with you tonight. We were going to go to the pub and watch the big game. Why are we suddenly instead going to Jeff’s house to track him down? I know he went home sick.”

  “Jeff’s my buddy,”
Arthur replied. “And he said he’d be there tonight. So I need to figure out what’s wrong.”

  “He’s just sick,” Andrea said. “Honestly, he looked like he’d come down with the flu or something when I spoke with him earlier.”

  Arthur did not respond immediately. Andrea sighed. She crossed her arms over herself. She made sure not to cross them over her chest, but rather under her breasts, to emphasize them. Then she pouted. Arthur didn’t seem to notice. She decided this must be because he was driving, not because she wasn’t pretty. Andrea knew she was pretty and used it to her advantage.

  When Arthur had originally asked Andrea to go out with both him and Jeff, Andrea had not been concerned. She was not the type of woman to be concerned that she might be taken advantage of. She knew how to take care of herself. She also knew how to pleasure a man and make a man pleasure her. A date with two men would be nothing new to Andrea. And if it truly was just a date with just Arthur, that would be okay as well.

  She had been glad that she’d run into Jeff earlier that morning, because she hadn’t seen him before that moment. He had seemed nice enough, minus the part where he looked terribly ill. He’d probably overworked himself. Or he’d actually come down with the flue, as had been her earlier suspicion voiced to Arthur.

  Honestly, though, the way Arthur talked about Jeff made it seem like there was some unresolved feelings for Jeff on Arthur’s part. Andrea confessed she was a little jealous of that. She liked being the center of attention.

  When they stopped at a stoplight, Arthur pulled out his phone and dialed Jeff’s number. Then he pressed a button on his radio to turn the Bluetooth on.

  The phone rang several times before Jeff’s voice could be heard: “You have reached Jeff Graves, I’m unavailable to take a call at this moment. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to you.”

  “Damnit,” Arthur hissed, hanging up the call.

  “Seriously, Arthur?” Andrea asked. “We’re going to be showing up at his house completely unannounced. That is incredibly rude, even for friends. I just want to go to the pub.”