by E A Price
She felt an immediate flush of shyness as he approached. Faced with this immaculate man in a designer suit, she was all too aware that she was wearing a Rudolph sweater with a light-up nose, and her hair was streaked with festive shades of green and red. What had seemed like a fun idea that morning now felt completely out of place. Lord, she must have looked demented.
Her animal mewled as he peered down at her, his lithe frame easily topping six-feet and towering over her own five-foot-four. “I doubt you’ll bruise.”
“Hmmmm?” What was he talking about?
“Your head.”
“Oh!” Right, yeah, that embarrassing thing that happened like two minutes ago. “Well, I’m a fast healer.”
He inhaled softly, and his eyes shuttered slightly. “Squirrel.”
“Python,” she retorted.
A corner of his mouth tugged upwards but quickly settled back into a thin line. “Who are you?”
“Jessie… ah, Jessica Duchamp. I just started today. I’ll be working in tech support.”
“That explains why I’ve never seen you around before,” he muttered, thoughtfully. His eyes strayed to her breasts, and either he was mightily interested in Rudolph and the punch stain, or he was just impressed by her rack that seemed to be heaving a mile a minute. That was all thanks to her squirrel who was starting to get a little giddy.
“So, Ms. Duchamp, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Well, there was the party, and then someone shouted out that it was snowing. So everyone was stampeding everywhere, and I didn’t want to get crushed so I ducked in here, and then, well, you know the rest.” She blushed furiously under his piercing gaze. “So how come you’re in here all alone?”
He smiled coldly but moved a couple of inches closer to her. “I’m not one for celebrating.”
“But it’s Christmas, and it’s snowing. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate?” she murmured, ignoring the urge to move closer to him, too.
He snorted and looked out the window. Her squirrel simpered as she studied his handsome form. A flush of arousal trickled through her, making her body ache with need. Maybe it had been a couple of months since her last boyfriend, but being close to any other man had never felt anything like this. His scent, so warm and comforting, yet delicious and sensual seemed to invade her senses. She felt almost lightheaded, like every cogent thought in her head had fled, leaving only the desire to be near this male.
His eyes flickered to her hand. “What’s that?”
Jessie came to her senses and realized she was still clutching the mistletoe. “Oh! It’s nothing,” she stammered, pressing it behind her back.
“It looks like mistletoe to me,” he said, unemotionally.
“Oh… ah… I…”
Damn, what was wrong with her? With men, she was usually so flirty and teasing. But getting this one up close turned her into the village idiot. Well, wasn’t she in comparison to him? He was cool, calm and sophisticated in his tailored suit, with his lavish office and aged whiskey. She just guessed about that last part – in truth she had no idea. She was more of a rum and Coke kind of girl – cheap rum at that. Or a cocktail like sex on the beach. Hmmm, yes, sex on the beach with this guy sounded appealing. Just finding out what he hid under his perfect suit sounded appealing. Her little beast chirped in agreement.
He leaned dangerously close to her as his hand snaked around her back. She could feel his breath tickling her cheek as his chest grazed hers. The brief touch instantly made her nipples harden. He stiffened, and she shrieked in surprise as her sweater came to life and a tinny rendition of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer started playing from her chest area. Yeah, it didn’t just light up – it played music, too. It had seemed cute in the shop, damnit!
Her squirrel groaned and almost slapped her paws over her eyes to hide herself from the shame of it all. Could she have been any less sexy at that moment? Only if she’d been wearing one of her Gram-Gram’s flowery housecoats, hair curlers, and a wheatgrass face mask – that combination was enough to wilt any man’s arousal.
He used the distraction to pluck the mistletoe out of her hand. He twirled it between his long fingers. “Nice sweater.”
“I thought it was cute.”
“It is – very,” he breathed. “Were you planning on using this?” He held up the mistletoe.
“I already have,” she admitted, ignoring her squirrel’s harrumph. A lady would never kiss and tell, as her Great Aunt Ruthie would say. Course, she had pretty much dated every man in her small town, so she really couldn’t judge.
His lips tightened, and his eyes seemed to be swirling with black. “How many times?”
“Not many. Would you like to use it?” She blurted that last part without thinking. Or rather, she blurted that last part because she was thinking with her libido. Her animal twittered in approval, but Jessie felt like an idiot. She half expected him to laugh right in her face. Before he got the chance, she tried to move away, but he stopped her.
She gasped as one of his strong arms slid around her body, pulling her tautly against his. His arm settled around her waist as softly, but insistently his lips pressed against hers. Her beast practically fainted like a southern belle. She moaned at his taste; the sweet, heady flavor danced along her lips, warming them before spreading throughout her body, making every inch of her shudder in awareness. Soon – far too soon – he pulled away from her and she realized he really had been holding the mistletoe over their heads. Surprisingly, she also noted that her own hands had crept up his chest and were clutching at his shoulders. Even more shocking was the evidence of his desire pressing right into her stomach, and it was a damn impressive amount of desire, more than she’d handled before.
“Oh, my,” she whispered while her squirrel fanned herself.
He viewed her through hooded eyes. The coolness of his eyes was tempered by his lust, but also something else, something like recognition. He tossed the mistletoe to the ground as he pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, murmuring one word, “Mate.”
And naturally, at that moment, her sweater broke out into another verse of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
Chapter Four
January
Gerry stared out of the window, half-listening to Gunner’s report. He really should be listening. It was important, damnit. His job was important to him. Doing his job was important. So why was every thought filled with a certain mischievous squirrel shifter?
His python flicked his tail with impatience. The beast wanted to know why they weren’t with the female at that very moment. Gerry had a list of reasons, none of which his inner animal agreed with.
After a couple of weeks, he thought that his desire for her would have waned, but no. If anything, it was even worse than it had been when he felt her soft lips on his, and her lush body pressed against him.
Gerry couldn’t deny that he’d been without sex for a while. Real sex, anyway. Not the kind of sexual release that came from a willing partner who just wanted to get it over and done with so she could go back to sleep. He assumed that was the reason he was so taken with the squirrel. His snake had latched onto the nearest female it could find and now didn’t seem able to let go. Maybe if they had slept with her suggested the beast…
Every detail of that night was etched into his memory. He burned the moment he saw her, running into his office, giggling excitedly. She was a vision of joy and loveliness in a drab world. And that kiss… he shouldn’t have. But he couldn’t help himself. He saw the mistletoe and those red, trembling lips and he couldn’t hold back. He should have. He was just a dirty old snake taking advantage of a young employee in a moment of weakness. But what he did next freaked him out even more. The word mate escaped him. Was she really his mate?
No, it couldn’t be true. He let the word escape him, but it couldn’t be right. She couldn’t be his mate. His snake hissed at him, and Gerry tried to soothe him. There was nothing wrong with her – far from it. He’d known her for a
handful of minutes, and he was smitten. She was sweet and sassy with luminous green eyes and soft, arousing curves. Did it bother him that she was a squirrel rather than a snake? Not even a little. His snake wanted to drag her into a nest and defend and hide her from every other male on the planet. His instincts to protect her, to keep her safe ignited the moment she pressed her button nose against his window.
She wasn’t the issue. He defied any male not to get hard from just a twitch of her nose. Although, he had an urge to hunt down and kill any that did. Over the past two weeks, he’d wasted many an hour in the shower thinking of her. It was getting embarrassing. He hadn’t whacked off this much since he was a teenager, and maybe not even then. His wife thought they had a problem with their water pipes.
And there was the rub. He had a wife! He had a wife; he had to be almost twenty years older than the squirrel, and he was her boss. He wasn’t sure which of those things bothered him most. Probably the age difference. He was too old for her – far too old. She deserved someone as young and vibrant as her. She deserved more than a middle-aged, miserable snake.
Gunner, the agent in charge of the Alpha Team, cleared his throat, and Gerry looked at him questioningly.
The polar bear shifter carefully avoided commenting on his boss’ lack of attention, and chose to reiterate what he was saying. “I was just thinking, Sir, that it would be helpful if we had a full-time tech support assigned to us. We have so many needs and it’s getting harder…”
“You’re right.”
Gunner almost gaped at the sudden agreement. “I ah, yes, Sir.”
“Yes, we should have a tech support just for us. She could work up here on this floor. There’s an empty office down the hall…” Gerry tented his fingers together in a way that would make a supervillain proud. His beast stirred at the directions of his thoughts.
The huge polar bear scratched his head. The conversation was getting away from him. “Uh, she, sir?”
Gerry paused in his machinations. “Or he,” he said, airily. Gunner wrinkled his massive brow.
Time to move on. Gerry cleared his throat. “Did you get anywhere with the surgeon’s murder?”
“No,” said Gunner, gruffly. He took any failure with a case as a personal affront – he took it even harder than Gerry. “Any leads we had have gone cold, and when we finally got tech support to do some digging, we found out that she did have a malpractice case filed against her.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, a few months back. A guy filed it after his wife died in surgery. But the case was dismissed straight away – apparently it was a really risky procedure, and our doc did everything she could. There weren’t any reports of the guy who filed it attacking her or anything like that so I’ve no idea whether he could have done it. But he did claim that she rushed the surgery and that was why it ended badly. The surgery was scheduled for a Friday and she moved it to another day. He said it was because she wanted to go on a ski trip.”
“Have you spoken to him?”
“He’s dead,” declared Gunner, grimly. “Died a week after we found the body.”
“How?”
“Car accident.”
Gerry arched an eyebrow. “Suicide?”
“Well, when they tested his blood it was clear that he was way over the limit. He could have intentionally gotten drunk and driven into a tree.” Gunner looked highly doubtful about that. “I spoke to his sister. She said that he was devastated after his wife died. She said he was mad at the doctor at first, but he seemed to calm down after the malpractice was dismissed. Although, she made a passing comment about his savings account. She was surprised that he had so little money after he died. She thought he was missing at least seven grand.”
“Like maybe he spent the missing money on a hit man for our surgeon?”
“Not to eschew that much money…”
“Eschew?” Gerry’s lips quirked.
Gunner nodded. “Word of the day calendar – my Secret Santa gift.”
Ah yes, the office Secret Santa, and to think Gerry eschewed partaking in that.
“Anyhow, not to eschew the money, but it’s not really a lot for a professional hit. And someone put a hell of a lot of work into killing her. Although the coroner did say that he doubted the killer was a professional surgeon. He said the knife work was too messy.”
“I suppose it would depend on the hit man,” Gerry said slowly, as he considered the bargain basement option of hired killers. “Shame we didn’t get to speak to him before he died.”
“Yeah, we might have been able to get to him in time if we’d had a little better support,” said Gunner, pointedly.
Gerry’s inner python grumbled. Fucking Barry Sayles. “You make an excellent point.” His eyes gleamed. “Leave it to me.”
*
Madam patted Miriam Quirk’s hand. “Everything’s been taken care of. As requested, he’s restrained in his house and awaiting your arrival. I’ve had one of my associates imbed a charm in him – for any reason if he gets free all you have to do is say the word ‘slumber’ and he will become docile. I’ve also arranged for a number of implements for your use, in case you wish to get creative with his punishment.”
Miriam bit her lip. “I’m not sure I can do this.”
Madam didn’t lose her sympathetic smile. “My dear, I won’t force you to do this. Everything that happens is your decision. You’ve already signed the contract. If you decide you do not wish to continue, then that is entirely up to you. Although I hesitate to mention it, we wouldn’t be able to refund your money at this time. But remember, you’re not just here because of what he did to your sister. You’re here because of all the agony and pain he’s put your family through. And all the pain he may cause to future victims’ families. The cops failed to protect your sister and failed to bring him to justice. Aren’t you just doing what needs to be done?”
Miriam wiped tears away with the back of her sleeve. “You’re right. He has to pay for what’s he’s done.”
“An eye for an eye,” agreed Madam, squeezing her hand. “Now are you sure you definitely want it to happen here?”
She nodded vehemently. “This is where he… it has to be here.”
“Of course, whatever you want. Just remember, his housekeeper is due to arrive at 6 am. We’ll need at least two hours to ensure that we get rid of any evidence. However,” Madam paused and frowned, “if he needs his memories erasing, we’ll need at least three hours. It’s a delicate procedure, and I’d need a shaman to do it.”
Miriam’s brow creased. “What do you mean if?”
“Just remember, if he’s still alive at the end, he will remember everything you’ve done to him.”
“You want me to kill him?”
Madam spread out her hands. “You do whatever you want – this is your revenge after all. Just ensure that my people will have enough time to come and clean up before his housekeeper’s arrival.”
Miriam blinked at her before mumbling, “Okay.”
“Good, but if anything goes wrong use this.” Madam passed her a rock and explained what it was. “All you have to do is throw it to the ground, and it will cover up any… messes. Just make sure you run like hell from it. Only use it in an absolute emergency.”
“You mean like if someone turns up?”
“Yes, particularly the cops. The last thing we want is for you to be arrested for this. Speaking of which, one of my associates is currently establishing your alibi in a bar across town.”
“You think of everything.”
Madam smiled encouragingly. “All part of the service. Call me as soon as you’re done. Now go. On wrongs swift vengeance waits. You’ve waited long enough, go enjoy your vengeance.”
*
Miriam fumbled with her phone. She could barely grip it because of the blood on her fingers. When Madam finally answered, Miriam started crying.
“She came home early,” she hiccupped.
“Who?” asked Madam, as calm as ever despite
Miriam’s frantic tone.
“The housekeeper!” cried Miriam. “She came home early. I freaked out and left; I forgot to use the stone. It was… oh god! I’m sorry. I fucked up and forgot everything you told me.”
“Is he dead? Did you finish the job?”
“I… yes, I’m pretty sure he was dead. There was so much blood.”
Madam barely even paused before she started making hushing, soothing noises. “My dear, do not fret, all is not lost. I have a… well, let’s just say, a contact within the SEA. I’ll make sure the evidence goes missing. Remember, you already have an alibi in place; they won’t be able to arrest you for this. Try not to cry – you’ve performed a great service to the world. Don’t feel any pity for him. He deserved this. Now, you get yourself home, take a long shower and try and get some rest. Leave everything to me.”
Chapter Five
Jessie scowled at the computer. “Why won’t you work?” she hissed at the screen. The computer stared back at her giving nothing away. “Yeah, come and work at the SEA,” she muttered, stabbing at her keyboard with ill-concealed fury. “Smartly dressed idiots will kiss you before running away like you’ve eaten a whole plate of garlic flavored onions. Ugh! Work damnit!” She slapped the side of her screen.
Someone coughed, delicately. “Everything okay, Jessie?”
Her squirrel grumbled, and Jessie tried not to show her irritation. “Hi, Robbie.” She noticed a few other people in the office were casting furtive glances her way. Maybe she should tone it down a bit. “Sorry, just a little… ah… bad time of the month.” She cringed about pulling out the ‘girly’ card, but there was no way she was going to admit the real reason for her perpetual bad mood. Her parents hadn’t been able to extract it from her over the holidays – and they even resorted to bribing her with triple chocolate fudge cake. This guy wasn’t going to get it out with sad puppy dog eyes and a boy-next-door charm. Both of which did nothing for her ever since some asshat gave her the best kiss of her life, and didn’t even hang around to tell her his name. She had to read it on his door!
