Boris was back.
I'd woken up just past nine in the morning feeling like I was still two weeks short of sleep and the first thing I saw was Boris sitting outside the window with a yellow note stuck on his steering wheel.
I put my dressing gown on, found my slippers (no more barefoot walks), collected the house keys and the spare key and went outside.
It was a note from Red.
Harper,
Boris is fixed for now. Patched up some radiator cracks and replaced two sparkplugs. He'll get you to town and back fine. Get him checked out by a mechanic if you're planning any long cross-country trips.
Which I hope you ain't.
Red.
I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and looked up the hill towards Red's house. His truck was gone. He must have kept working on Boris last night and brought him down while I was asleep.
I took in the beautiful view around me for all of two minutes before I went back inside to eat my breakfast of corn chips and chewing gum, half asleep and trying to make sense of last night.
After making me come bent over his kitchen sink and after I rush out and after a wolf turns into a naked girl in front of us and after I nearly faint and he carries me to the cabin... after all that he goes back home, finishes up work on Boris and parks him outside?
Does the man have balls of steel or what?
I finished my delicious corn chip breakfast, zipped into the shower and got dressed, ready to head to the town. Yes, my mind my still whirling somewhat but there were more pressing concerns. Like food in my house. Bars of soap. Meeting my new employer.
I put the spare key back where it came from and moved the chair in the gazebo back into its place. As I pushed it, I looked out across the field and into the forest. Was there a wolf out there right now watching me? I shook my head and silently told myself off. I was staying and if I were staying then I couldn't be afraid. Otherwise I'd turn tail and run.
It was only once I was in Boris driving to town that I realized I really meant it. I was staying. I'd barely thought about it. Millie had rented the cabin for a year and I couldn't just throw her gift away because of... well, werewolves were a pretty good excuse but still.
I drove over a hill and Hot Springs appeared before me. A moment later my stomach rumbled.
First up - Greasy Manna, my new employer and breakfast.
*
The chicken-fried steak that landed on the table smelled delicious. It had been a toss-up between that or the Reggie's Red-Eye Gravy (local ham, cornbread, red-eye gravy served with a side of fries). I'd gone with the chicken-fried steak because it felt right.
My waitress was a perky blonde named Katy. Her uniform seemed about two sizes too small. It was short on the bottom and low-cut on the top and I saw more than one customer taking sideways glances.
"You let me know if you need anything else." She gave me a positively flirty wink and zipped off to serve other customers. I decided immediately we'd be friends.
I got one forkful of steak into my mouth before a slender woman in her late forties slipped into the seat across from me.
"You think you can sneak in here Harper Finch and we wouldn't know it was you?"
I hurriedly swallowed my bite and wiped my mouth with the napkin. She had to be the owner.
"You must be Sarah. Sorry, I just wanted to get some food and look at the place before I came to talk to you."
She narrowed her eyes at me and her smile disappeared. "You were deciding if this place was good enough for you to work at?"
I started to stammer something when she laughed and banged her hand on the table hard enough to make my cutlery jump.
"I'm joking with you."
"How did you know it was me?"
She looked out the front window. "I'd recognize Boris anywhere. Besides, you got the look of Finch about you. Now introduce yourself girl!"
She held out her hand to me and I shook it.
"I'm Harper. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Sarah. Owner of this here establishment. That's Katy. Reggie, my husband, is cooking, we got Tara over there and there are a few more you'll meet. You ready to start Wednesday?"
"Definitely."
"When you're done, come out the back and I'll measure you up for a uniform. Enjoy your breakfast." She winked just like Katy and left, heading through to the kitchen.
I just about had a fry in my mouth when Katy appeared next to my table and then hugged me.
"You're Harper Finch! So nice to meet you! There's a dance on Saturday night and you're coming with me. No arguments."
She waved her finger at me, for a moment looking like a tiny cross pixie.
"Okay. That would be great."
As soon as I stammered out my answer, she was gone again. I put my head down and kept my eyes focused on my breakfast lest someone else sit down across from me or hit me with a surprise hug and invitation.
I'm not shy, really. It was the whirlwind of one thing after another hitting me. Even though they were all good, I was getting pushed further and further off course. I was pondering good things (Red mostly, maybe the cabin too) when the bell above the door jingled and a man who defined tall, dark and handsome walked through the door. He was built but still lean and dressed in a black suit that had to be bespoke. It went well with his pitch-black hair. He walked in and took a booth near the door. As he sat down he looked across at me and held my gaze for a moment. I swear as he looked away, he smirked.
I went back to looking at my plate, feeling my heart thump in my chest. There was something about him and I didn't know if it was good or bad. It felt a bit like Red and my desire to both unbutton my top and button it. Like he was dangerous.
The idea that he was a werewolf whispered across my mind but I quickly squelched it. If I started believing everyone I met was a werewolf I wasn't going to last out the week here.
I finished up my spectacular breakfast and went through to the office where Sarah gave me a bunch of paperwork to take with me and bring back on Wednesday for my first shift. She also measured me up for a uniform and told me she have it ready too. I thanked her and headed out to find a supermarket.
"Excuse me miss, I believe you dropped this."
A deep voice rumbling bass. It was the tall man I'd seen earlier. Up close his hair really was pitch black. His eyes were pale blue, cold like the Arctic. He was holding a hundred dollar note in his hand.
"That's not mine."
"Are you sure?" He smiled briefly and looked up at me with those blue eyes. They'd gone from cold to twinkling. The man was gorgeous, like a fashion model.
But trying to pick up girls using a hundred dollars? What was that?
"Keep it. Try the chicken-fried steak. It's delicious."
"I'm Freyr." He was holding his hand out to me. The hundred had disappeared like a magician's trick.
"Harper."
I shook his hand but then quickly pulled away. "Sorry, I have to go. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too."
I walked out, feeling his eyes on me the whole way and my mind swapping two words over and over - meet and meat.
*
Once outside I took myself on an aimless wander to look around. And to cool off. I didn't know what was up with Hot Springs but there did seem to be an overabundance of hot men around the place. Not just hot men either. Hot men who wanted to talk to me.
I stopped outside a toy store with a shiny front window. Yup. It was still me. Curvy, not slender. Hair barely under control. Maybe back home girls like me were a dime a dozen and here I was a rarity. Maybe. Whatever it was, I wasn't complaining.
I continued on my quick aimless wander checking out the city. Found a cinema and then a row of restaurants. Perfect for dates. If I found someone to date. Red maybe.
After about half an hour I headed back to Greasy Manna, looking to see if Freyr was still there. I didn't see him inside and after a quick look up and down the street, I scurried across to Boris and jumped in.
I drove around until I found a supermarket and spent a big chunk of money on groceries. There was something quite soothing about stocking up. Choosing new soaps and new shampoo and buying spices. It was a fresh start in more ways than one (I'd brought my salt and pepper grinders from my old house but that was about it foodwise).
As I was heading back to Boris with my severely overloaded trolley, my phone started buzzing like crazy. Apparently it had worked out it was now in an area with signal and delivered all the banked-up messages.
The first was from Mom asking if I'd arrived okay. The rest were from Jem, who was still severely annoyed with me and Millie. Her messages came with a side of snark served ice-cold. Had I written the great American novel yet? Was I chained up in some hillbilly basement?
I ignored the snark and sent both of them a message that I'd arrived and I was fine. Then I turned my phone off and loaded up Boris. Mom was still working the guilt angle and I wasn't up for that today. Jem's messages came wrapped with spiky insults and I was well sick of that too.
Out of sight is out of mind... but out of contact is so much more effective. I loved both of them but in that special family way where you'd happily murder them thirty percent of the time. Right now I was far away and getting a fresh start and I didn't need text message slaps to bring me down.
Driving out of town with the sun shining and Boris loaded up with groceries, I found myself smiling.
It could have been the chicken-fried steak talking but I was starting to feel... happy.
*
I got back to the cabin just after lunch, still full from the gigantic breakfast at Greasy Manna. I loaded up the chest freezer, filled up the refrigerator and cupboards and then took stock of everything and realized I'd forgotten to buy wine glasses.
Admit it Harper. You're going to invite Red over for dinner so you can then fuck his brains out. That's why you wanted the wine glasses.
I glanced at myself in the mirror and saw my face. Harper wasn't going to admit anything of the sort.
I kicked off my shoes and yawned. Although it was the early afternoon I still hadn't recovered from my long trip. I had a driving hangover or jetlag without the jet. I looked into my very cozy bedroom. The curtains were closed and it was just that perfect level of warmth. I told myself I should go outside, go for a walk or something but my bed was calling to me like a siren.
I laid on the bed and closed my eyes, letting out a sigh like an old person. Almost immediately an image of Red came to mind. Him leaning over me on my bed. He only kissed me last night on the cheek but I'd felt his stubble, breathed in his scent. I imagined him above me, one hand stroking my hair, the other touching my neck, his body pressed against mine.
My heart started to beat faster at the memory of him. It was all so vivid. I could see his house in my mind. His table. His smile as he sat one seat away, dipping home-made bread into delicious stew. I tried to put the night in order but my mind was on random flashback. Him standing behind me, about to touch my body. Me walking up the path, seeing him covered in grease, working on Boris. The feel of his body against mine as he carried me down the path back to my cabin.
In my half-drowsy, half-aroused state I fumbled for the drawer and found the red vibrator. The one Red surely had seen. I put in the batteries by touch alone and then pressed the tip of it against me, though my underwear.
Red, on top of me, stroking my hair, his body against mine, that large bulge in his pants pressing against me.
I began moving the vibrator against me, feeling the pressure of it. Even switched off, it felt amazing. The mind had led and my body had followed. I pressed the soft button on the base of the vibrator and then gasped as it buzzed to life.
Oh Red.
He pushes me down on the bed and then pulls my underwear down, leaving them hanging around one ankle. He's out of his jeans in a moment and I catch a glimpse of his thick cock before he's on top of me, my legs making way for him. His hand clasps the back of my neck and I feel the rough spots on his skin. His cock is touching me, sitting at my entrance and I move my hips, trying to get him to slide inside me but he holds himself still.
"Are you mine?" he asks and I feel the strength of his hand on my neck. His other hand brushes through my hair and then grips a handful. He pulls, gently and I tilt my head back, presenting my throat to him. I gasp as I feel his cock slide in, just an inch. I want more. I want it all but I'm utterly under his control.
He asks again. His voice is low, dangerous. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I'm tiling my hips, involuntarily. I just want him inside me. He slides in another inch and then his lips brush my throat.
"Yes," I whisper and then he slides inside me. He grips my hair and fucks me hard and fast. My skirt is pulled up around my waist. My blouse is open.
I can feel my orgasm building with each stroke. His grip on my hair is pain and pleasure entwined.
His eyes glowing gold, his teeth sharp and deadly ... he growls mine and I come, my pussy clenching around his cock, screaming and panting but he doesn't slow down. He speeds up, pounding into me, faster and faster until I feel him come inside me. His muscles tighten, his teeth close on the side of my neck and the bite is pain and pleasure once more.
And then I'm back in my room, the vibrator buzzing against my clit, my heart pounding. My eyes are closed and in my imagination Red is still on top of me, his thick cock inside me. I can feel it throbbing in time with his heartbeat.
I turned the vibrator off but kept holding it against me. The road trip hangover had well and truly caught up with me and the orgasm sealed the deal. I felt myself getting sleepy but the image of Red was vibrating in my mind. I haven't seen him with his shirt off but I've felt the strength of his body against mine. To have such a man in my bed. To have such a man between my legs.
I turned the vibrator back on.
Oh, what the hell. Just one more time.
*
I woke up in the afternoon from a confusing mix of dreams:
Red behind me (hot and awesome), the wide open spaces (calming), driving forever (ugh).
It was just past four in the afternoon and the clear day had turned dark and cold. The sky was pale gray and ominous storm clouds were rolling toward me. I opened the door for all of five seconds before the first splatter of rain hit and within a minute it was pouring down and the wind was howling through the trees.
The nap (and orgasms) and done me good and while the storm thrashed outside, I made myself a coffee, turned on my laptop and wrote a bit more of my novel outline. I'd started it on the night of the will reading. Soon I slipped into creative daze of writing and before I knew it, two hours had passed. The storm had eased off a little (from crazy drench-you-to-the-bone-in-five-seconds to crazy drench-you-to-the-bone-in-thirty-seconds) and the wind howling through the trees had gone from angry to just mournful.
Even with the storm it was peaceful out here. I felt calm.
This evaporated in an instant as someone pounded on the front door.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
I went from calm to panic. This was it. Some madman was here to murder me and burying my body in an unmarked grave. Or maybe a marked grave with my finger bones nailed to a tree to show the way.
"Harper? You in there?"
It was Red.
With the sound of his voice came an almost overwhelming relief. I fixed up my wrinkled clothes, rehearsed an opening line (Hi Red, how are you?) and opened the door. He wasn't dripping wet as I expected and I was surprised to see his truck parked nearby. He must have driven up and I was so lost in the writing daze that I didn't hear it.
My opening line died in my throat when I saw the gash on the side of his face and the blood down the side of his neck.
"It's okay, it's okay. A tree fell down as I was driving up here. Caught a branch in the face through the window."
"But you're bleeding!"
Thank you Captain Obvious. And it's raining too.
"Don't worry about it. Can I come in?"
I nodded and stepped back to let him inside. He was trickling blood from the cut but seemed rather unconcerned. I shut the door behind him and then rushed to the cupboard to find my newly bought paper towels. I handed him one and he pressed it against the cut.
"So, how are you going?"
"I'm... um..."
Sentences whirled and spun in my mind like bingo balls but none of them landed. I'm great, good to see you. Are you sure you're okay? Instead of these basic responses I mumbled something between good and okay. It came out as godkay.
"I didn't come to stay long. I wanted to ask you to come out with me on Saturday night. There's a dance in town."
"I'm already going."
Great, now you're making sentences and you come out with that?
"Oh."
I saw his face fall, just a little.
"No, no it's not with anyone! I don't have a date. I'm going with Katy from my new job."
"So I guess I'll see you Saturday night."
Before I had a chance to answer, we both heard a buzz start from my bedroom. Red turned away from me to look into the bedroom. I knew immediately what the sound was. That damn red vibrator. Although I panicked again, some part of me knew what to do.
"Thanks for coming by!"
I hustled a smiling Red out my door. For a man with a bleeding wound he seemed pretty damn happy.
"I'll see you then," I said as the door closed behind him. This time I heard the truck start up and pull away.
"Oh, what is wrong with you Harper?" I asked myself out loud and then looked through to my bedroom where the red vibrator sitting on the bed in plain view was buzzing its little heart out.
I groaned to myself and shut my eyes. He still likes me. He doesn't think I'm some vibrator-loving weirdo. Even if he did, sex toys are perfectly normal and that was his hang-up. Although some part of me thought a man like Red didn't have many barriers.
I turned the vibrator off and pulled out the batteries and firmly promised myself to focus on writing, going to my new job and not thinking about Red and the dance.
*
"Two red-eyes, three big breakfasts, short stack and egg-white omelet!" I slipped the order on to the revolving spinner and picked up two big breakfasts for the travelling couple on table three.
"Two red-eyes, three big breakfasts, short stack and egg-white omelet!" Reggie yelled back the order and whacked his spatula on the grill.
It was Friday afternoon on my third day of work and I was getting the hang of it. Reggie loved to yell the orders. There was another cook, Jeff, who wasn't so loud but was just as fast as Reggie. Katy had helped train me and slipped in local gossip whenever possible.
"Table six want apple pie and she is not his daughter." Katy raised her eyebrows at me as she put the order up.
I grinned at her and took my orders out. Everyone loved Greasy Manna's all-day breakfast and the Big Breakfast was one of our bestsellers.
I had waitressed at college but it had been hell. High staff turnover, a sleazy boss who was handsy and his wife, the manager, who took our tips "to share them out" and stole a big chunk for herself. Greasy Manna was heaven compared to that place. It was fast and busy and on my first day the lunch crowd was crazy but Sarah, Reggie and Katy did it all with a smile. Best of all was the fifty percent employee discount. Katy and I were on the same shift so we'd had dinner the last two nights together. I don't know how Sarah had done it but my uniform was both comfortable and damn good-looking at the same time. The tips were rolling and while I'm sure some of it was due to my charming personality (as I often told my sister), the rest was down to Sarah's amazing uniforms.
After I delivered my orders I headed back to the kitchen for a glass of water. I was two mouthfuls into it when Katy burst in, her face glowing.
"You have to go to your table four right now. Or let me. Please. I'll do anything you want." She pulled me to the serving window and there he was. Red. Dressed in his building clothes with scuffed boots and a few paint droplets and looking as sexy as hell.
"That's my neighbor, Red."
"The builder? He can renovate my kitchen any time he likes." She had the end of her pencil between her lips.
Tara joined us and fanned herself with a menu. She didn't say anything but I caught her biting her lip.
"Does he have an outdoor swimming pool or spa? You know, one he swims in during the day, maybe wearing little more than his birthday suit?" Katy didn't take her eyes off Red as she asked me this.
"That is really specific. And strange. I'm going over to take his order."
"To serve him, don't ya mean?"
Katy and Tara burst into laughter as I straightened my uniform and went out to the dining area. Red looked up at me and I felt his gaze trigger something inside me. I had to fight against my hips swaying as I approached him. My hand almost undid another top button all by itself.
I pulled out my order pad.
"Hi Red, what can I do for you?"
I meant it as a simple question. What I meant to say was "Can I take your order?". My body betrayed me at the last moment though and what came out sounded like I worked on a sex hotline. My voice turned throaty. The emphasis hit the wrong words.
A flicker of a smile played across Red's perfect lips just long enough for him to let me know he'd caught my tone.
"Reggie's Big Sandwich, please Harper."
"Anything else you'd like?"
Damn it to hell and back I meant to ask if he wanted a drink with his lunch. I heard Katy and Tara still giggling from behind me.
"Many many things but they'll have to wait until the weekend."
I turned bright red and scurried off to the kitchen before I caught fire .
"One big sandwich please."
"One big sandwich!"
Katy and Tara appeared at my side like they were teleported there.
"You wanna marry him and have his babies!" Katy. Five seconds away from being karate chopped.
"He does have an outdoor pool doesn't he. Have you seen his bits?" Tara. Two seconds away from a kick in the ass.
I grabbed a glass and filled it from the ice water jug. I took a deep gulp while Katy and Tara laughed it up.
"You two should be nice to me you know."
I let out a breath as the cool water hit my stomach and I instantly felt better.
"I've seen the guys he works with and if you want to meet them..."
The bell above the door rang right on cue and in walked Fen and Jake to meet Red. Katy and Tara sucked in air so quickly my ears nearly popped.
"We take it back." Katy clasped her hands together like she was praying.
"Yeah, we take it back." Tara was staring at Jake like she could see through his clothes.
"I don't know..."
I left them groaning and went out to take their orders.
*
The afternoon wore on and although I was loving my new part-time job, I was very ready for the day to be over so I could get home. Red, Fen and Jake were long gone but Katy and Tara kept trying to extract information about them out of me.
I was down to my last forty-five minutes when the doorbell rang and this time it was Freyr, Mr. Tall-dark-and-handsome, closely followed by the girl from Red's place. The one who had been naked. The one who was a werewolf.
Thankfully they took a seat at one of Tara's tables as I vanished into the kitchen, trying to work out if I could just hide until the end of the shift. Tara burst in a moment later and dropped her pad on the table.
"Gotta go to the toilet! Can you handle table nine for me? I'll be back soon."
She didn't give me a chance to answer and vanished into the employee change room. I peeked out the front to see where Katy was. She was talking to a table of eight retirees who looked to be in no hurry to order. Damn, it was going to have to be me.
Okay Harper. Opening line is "Hi, can I take your order?" I played it over in my mind a few times and then went out to the table.
The girl looked up at me and smirked. It reminded me of being in school and dealing with bitchy teenage girls. Yes, I had a part-time job, what of it?
"Hi, can I take your order?"
Yeah. Delivered perfectly.
Freyr looked up at me over the menu, his face dead straight and expressionless.
"I prefer my girls to not take orders."
There was an awkward pause in which I blinked, the girl smirked again and Freyr watched me with his cold eyes. Then he smiled, like what he'd said was funny.
"Just a joke. Harper, this is Talia."
"We've met."
"Of course. Can we order two steaks, rare?"
What did he mean of course? I scribbled down their order, or something vaguely resembling it.
"Any drinks?"
"Milk. Shake. I do enjoy a good shake." Talia looked at me the way she had when we met on Red's property. Like I was naked and she was appraising me.
I wrote it down and then walked off back to the kitchen, ignoring the feeling of being watched trickling up my spine.
I gave Reggie the order and he shouted it out and then Tara returned in time for me to disappear into the change room myself.
I washed my hands under cold water and looked at myself in the mirror. What the hell was up with that girl? And my first instinct about Freyr was probably correct. Unless werewolf girls spent time with human men.
The night I met Talia came flashing back and I remembered her saying she had wanted to meet the new Finch. I'd forgotten until now. What had she meant? Who was the old Finch? It seemed that Millie had sent me to a town with a history for our family and everyone else was in on the joke except for me.
I finished washing up my hands while quietly resolving to dig into whatever this new Finch business meant. Red knew more than he'd told me and tomorrow at the dance I'd ask him.
After composing myself I went back out to the main dining room and took orders, delivered food and smiled at customers all the while completely ignoring the two customers at table nine. They paid for their meal and were gone about ten minutes before my shift ended. Katy and Tara didn't say anything about them because they were now talking about the dance on Saturday night and were trying to squeeze promises out of me to introduce them to Red's employees.
"Okay, fine! I'll introduce you."
Both of them grinned like they'd won the lottery and I wondered if they'd still be smiling if it turned out Jake and Fen were werewolves. Before I had a chance to ponder further, Katy clapped her hands together and declared the shift over.
Done. I made it through my first three days.
*
Saturday flew by in a blur. A morning of writing turned into an afternoon of writing and soon it was coming up on five pm and I hadn't put any thought to what I was going to wear to the dance.
I hadn't given any thought either to all the questions that had been bubbling away on the edge of my mind. The new Finch. Millie's relationship with Red's grandfather. Werewolves. Werewolves! Why Millie hadn't told me and then sent me here uninformed. What Talia's deal was. I was definitely going to question Red tonight.
Oh, and then there was the puzzle of Red himself. That particular man had been prowling around my thoughts and the thought that he was only up the hill wasn't helping one little bit.
I managed to push him away while I cooked up a steak with a side of vegetables but then he came crashing right back as I sat at the table idly watching a quiz show on the television after I finished eating. Red in his jeans with grease on his hands. Red standing behind me...
"That's it!"
I leapt up out of my chair and turned to face the mirror.
"Harper, you are wearing grandma underwear tonight. So you won't be tempted to do anything."
I even pointed my finger at myself. It didn't work.
"Don't give me that look young lady," I told myself and headed for the shower.
*
The Hot Springs Historical Society Hall was almost on the edge of the city. I was following Katy's directions but they included gems like "veer left at the big green house". Finally I stopped and turned my phone on. I'd gotten in the habit of switching it off over the last few days when it became apparent Jem wasn't going to let up with the text message slaps. I found a map, worked out how to get to the hall and ignored the buzzing of the phone as a bunch of new messages arrived. I didn't need to see them. I started Boris up and headed off.
Soon I arrived at the hall (after seeing the big green house and veering left from it). The car park around the front was full but I managed to find a spot around the back so far from the hall I may as well have parked at home.
I quickly looked myself over in the rear view mirror. Sexy, not slutty. I'd lightly shaded under my eyebrows and used kohl to darken around my eyes. Jasmine from Aladdin eyes. I was wearing a blue dress and shoes I could dance in. And under all that, a pair of giant old grandma panties. Just so I wouldn't be tempted to start anything with Red Guile from next door.
Not the sexiest attire but definitely the safest.
I checked my phone as I approached the hall (ignoring the messages I could see next to Jem's name) but I didn't have anything from Katy or Tara. We were going to meet out the front. I was on time and they were nowhere to be seen. I didn't want to be standing outside like an aimless lump so I texted both of them that I was going inside.
I paid for my ticket (sold to me by a lovely old lady who was wrinkled like a raisin) and wandered inside to the entrance hall. The sound of music from behind large double doors became louder. Some country song with a lot of yee-hahs in it was just finishing up. It transitioned into a swing dancing number and I heard a few people cheer.
All around the entrance hall were sepia and black and white photos showing hard-faced men and women and skinny kids. Everyone was skinny actually. It was a different and slimmer time. I was looking at a photo of a family of thirteen (thirteen!) sitting on a stump when a round white-haired man came bustling over to me.
"You must be Harper Finch! I'm Donald Crisp. Our last names sound similar. Five letters each. Isn't that funny?"
I looked at him, nonplussed for a moment. How did so many people know who I was?
"Nice to meet you. How did you know me?"
"You have the look of a Finch about you!" He waved at me to follow him. Inside the hall I heard the music change from swing back to country and a round of yee-hah. I followed Donald down to a framed black and white photograph... of me.
The name at the bottom said Nellie Finch but it could have been a black and white of a slightly slimmer me. Her hair was the same. Her face. Even her lips.
"She was your great-grandfather's sister. Died when she was just twenty-four sadly. So very unfortunate. The resemblance is uncanny isn't it?"
Donald spoke as though he'd personally been there when she'd died. And yes, the resemblance was uncanny. But at least it explained why people might know me to be a Finch.
"Donald! Could you come help me please?"
The raisin lady from before was calling out to him. Donald shook my hand and bustled off. It was how he moved about.
I was staring at this old-time version of myself when Tara and Katy arrived and called out to me. I gave black-and-white me a smile and walked over. Katy was bursting out of her top and already getting a lot of attention from a group of men who'd just arrived. She was dressed like she was ready for swing dancing. Tara had gone with the cowgirl look complete with cowboy hat, leather boots and a checkered shirt with the top two buttons undone.
Before I had a chance to ask what exactly was going on with the differences in styles, Katy grabbed one arm, Tara the other and they hustled me through the double doors into the main hall.
"We need drinks!" Katy declared and rushed off.
"What do you think?" Tara waved her hand like she was showing a prize on a TV game-show.
The hall was half decked out in country style, complete with a few hay bales. On the other side it was 1950s swing dancing. Half the people were in zoot suits and bobby sox and the other were cowboys and cowgirls. A country yee-hah song was just finishing up, the floor filled with country and swing folk boot-scooting away together. Then it transitioned to a fast tempo swing song and suddenly there was a lot of swing dancing going on with cowboys dancing with swing girls and vice-versa.
"Years ago there were two organizers for this. One loved country and the other swing dancing. They couldn't agree on the theme and so they set up half the hall in each and went for it. People loved it and now they do it every year to raise money for the historical society."
"It's weird. And awesome."
Katy returned with cocktails that were deep red and had pink sugar coated around the rims.
"Called a fireball. You're not driving home tonight are you?"
I sipped my cocktail. Berries. Raspberry, strawberry, but not too sweet. And a hit of alcohol strong enough to make me gasp. I immediately felt it warming me from within. If I had a few of these I'd be sleeping in Boris or dancing naked through the streets of Hot Springs.
"Did she tell you the rules? Did you tell her the rules?" Katy did the mad pixie face at Tara and then turned to me.
"Men ask girls to dance. It's polite to say yes. You don't have to but this is all about meeting new people. Speaking of new people, where are the men from yesterday?"
I looked around but I didn't see Fen, Jake or Red. Not that there wasn't an abundance of hot men around the place. Everywhere you looked there was a tall handsome stranger. Most of them had gone with the cowboy look but there were a few kickass suits in there too.
Then I saw Freyr. He was watching me from across the hall with those cold blue eyes. I caught his gaze and then immediately twirled on the spot, nearly spilling my drink.
"Don't look but it's that tall guy from the cafe."
Katy surreptitiously looked over by very cleverly openly gawping. Tara did the same.
"He's cute. What's the matter with him?"
I swallowed some of my drink. How would I explain what I'd felt? That he was dangerous and I wanted to get away from him but some deep part of me found him... alluring? That I was pretty sure he was a werewolf and not a good one like Red?
"I don't know I just-"
"He's coming over," Katy interrupted me.
I froze on the spot and drained my fireball in a single giant gulp, the drink living up to its name as it burned down my throat and hit my stomach. I felt Freyr behind me and turned around.
Handsome. Check. Tall. Check. Those eyes. Check. That unsettling feeling. Fucking check check check.
"Care to dance, Ms. Finch?" He held out his hand to me. It was smooth and perfect. Not rough like Red's.
Katy took my glass from me and without really being in control of my movements, I took Freyr's hand and followed as he led me out on to the dance floor. The fast-tempo swing song was still playing.
"Do you know how to swing dance?"
I nodded. Wolf got my tongue.
We moved into the basic swing dance pattern. Freyr took my right hand and slipped his other around to touch my lower back. It was completely innocent but it felt wrong. We started a moment later. Rock-step kick. Rock-step kick. Twirl. I love swing dancing although I'm not that great at it. I have some moves but in swing dancing the guy leads and the girl follows.
Freyr was tall, strong and sure. He spun me and twirled me and guided me around the floor and despite my seemingly innate aversion on some level to him, I started to enjoy myself. Not that I had my voice back yet.
It was over all too quickly however when the song ended and a slow country ballad began. Dancers all around us transitioned to a gentle waltz and Freyr pulled me closer to him. I could smell his scent. He wasn't wearing any aftershave I could recognize. It was earthy and cold, like rock and dirt mixed together. Not unpleasant but not warm and spice like Red.
"Why did you come to Hot Springs?"
I looked up into his eyes to find him regarding me, his face nearly expressionless. He definitely wasn't smiling.
"I'm here to write a book."
"What about?"
"Romance. Love. Betrayal."
We continued to dance, moving slowly to the almost mournful music.
"Why are you staying on Guile's land?"
"What business is it of yours?" I found my courage. Or maybe the fireball had given a little to me.
"That land used to belong to my family. Then it was stolen with the help of a Finch."
"I'm just renting the cabin. I have no idea what you're talking about."
He stopped us on the spot and suddenly we weren't dancing.
"I don't want it to happen again". His face was stony and his voice flat. Then he smiled and nodded before walking away, leaving me in the middle of the hall with no partner.
I walked back to where Katy and Tara had been but found they were gone. Great. I looked around but didn't spot them.
Feeling like everyone was watching me, I moved away from the dance floor and towards the rear of the hall. I wanted to drink another fireball or get out of there entirely. I wanted to see Red. I moved behind some hay bales and looked up at the photos on the wall. More thin people from the past in shades of sepia or black and white. I found a photo of twelve hard-faced men holding shovels and axes. The text underneath simply listed "Guile Family" with no date. Maybe they were all werewolves?
"A good-looking bunch."
I gasped and turned around to find Red standing behind me holding a glass of white wine. It was a little incongruous with his sexy cowboy look.
"Don't sneak up on me!" I smacked him on the arm. It was like hitting an iron beam.
"Would you like a drink?"
"Katy gave me a fireball."
"And yet you still have all your clothes on. You can handle your liquor."
He sipped his white wine and looked at me over the rim of the glass. Damn, the man was sexy.
"What is with the white wine? Don't cowboys drink beer?"
"Have you seen the beer they sell here? You could use it to degrease an engine."
He finished his wine and we stood there looking at each other with the slow country ballad coming to a close as the soundtrack. I suddenly wished I wasn't wearing my giant grandma underwear. Red put his glass down on a hay bale and held out his hand to me.
"Dance with me."
It wasn't a question but not a command either. I could feel an undercurrent thrumming between us. I didn't want him to ask me any questions. As I took his rough hand I realized I wanted him to take control.
The slow country song finished and the low drums of Hey Pachuco by the Royal Crown Revue begun. Being practically the most famous swing dancing song of all time, the floor was immediately filled. Red put his arm around me and pulled me close. For an instant I thought he might kiss me but then he pulled away and we started dancing.
Swing dancing and sex.
Fast and slow. Pulling out moves from the bag of tricks. Heavy breathing. Bodies touching. Two people moving in rhythm.
The world slipped away and it was just the two of us. Red moved with grace and power, spinning me away, pulling me back. The song was short but in those few minutes I went from a low simmer to a boil. Red in front of me. His hand on my back. Red behind me, our bodies touching for a moment. A final twirl and the song ended. The world returned with a hall full of people cheering and me seeing no one but the cowboy.
I took his hand and pulled him off the dance floor, heading for the back of the hall. Crazy ideas were running through my mind and most of them were based on the open door and set of stairs back there. Finding somewhere to be alone.
I stopped and turned around, Red's hand still in mine. He smiled at me and the look on his face sent tingles rushing through me. I noticed the cut on his face from yesterday was nowhere to be seen and then that thought vanished a moment later when he stepped forward and kissed me.
Spice and heat.
His hand was on my lower back, pulling me forward. I could feel the strength of his body, the raw power within him.
The kiss ended too soon, Red pulling back. His eyes were tinting golden, fixed on me. He moved forward and his lips touched my ear.
"Upstairs. End of the corridor. Take off your underwear."
He didn't have to add now but I could feel it in his voice. I wanted to obey for some mad reason.
"I will be there in a moment." He gently pushed me on my way before turning around and walking off into the crowd.
I floated through the door and came back to earth somewhere on the stairs. I could feel my heart thudding, half from the dancing, half from the nearness of Red. I reached the second floor. It was carpeted and quiet, the music from the hall a low backing track. I walked down the hall suddenly aware of every sensation. I could feel my dress touching me. I could taste the faintest trace of white wine from when Red kissed me. I could hear the carpet fibers flattening under my feet. I opened the door to the end room and walked inside, closing it behind me. It was an office of sorts. The walls were covered in newspapers framed in glass. Along the side wall was a long black leather sofa, comfortably worn. There was a polished wooden desk on the other side, below a window looking out on to the starry night.
Red would be here soon... and I still had not done as he commanded.
I reached up under my skirt and wiggled my way out of my underwear. It was easy because they weren't crazy tight. Once I had the lump of fabric in my hand I looked around for where I could stash it. I had no pockets. I saw a waste-paper basket under the desk at the same time as I heard footsteps ascending the stairs. I tossed the underwear in the most perfect three-pointer in history. Nothing but net. Red opened the door a second later and then closed it behind him.
Silence again, thrumming with tension.
"I heard you walking up the stairs."
"I was stomping so you wouldn't be surprised."
"Who said I didn't want to be surprised?"
I could hear the banter in my own head as I said it. See myself with one hip cocked and eyes half-lidded. A very tiny part of me said I was under Red's spell but then said what the hell, go for it.
Red took off his hat and spun it across the room to land on the sofa. I followed it with my eyes, only taking them off him for the barest of moments and then he was next to me. I gasped at his speed and silence but had no time to speak because he kissed me again.
This time he didn't pull away. He kissed me until my head spun. I faintly heard the crowd shout yee-hah from the dance floor. A distant background to the feel of his lips and his tongue. The sound of his breath. The rasp of his fingers on the fabric of my dress.
We moved, a perfect dance, across the floor and towards the sofa. Our kisses became hungry and I saw Red's eyes turning golden. In the midst of my heart thudding, of my skin tingling, I felt that feeling again. The nervous-anxious-run-away-run-towards. Red suddenly turned me, his hand on my neck and I pressed my hands on the arm of the sofa, feeling the cracked leather under my palms. I felt his lips on my neck and again, my body moved of its own accord, my feet moving apart, my hips tilting, my ass sticking out.
He's not a tame wolf I thought from nowhere and this mangling of some beautiful literature vanished as Red trailed his hand down my back and I felt him pull up my dress. I was wet and aching for him and the tiny commentator in my mind was working me up to a frenzy. I could feel my eyelids as heavy as lead. I turned my head and saw a reflection of us in the polished front of a cabinet. I was bent over the sofa, my ass indecently up in the air. Red behind me, one hand holding on to my dress, the other trailing over my skin. I was naked and exposed.
I felt his fingers brush my pussy and I let out a long slow breath. With every heartbeat my clit throbbed. Again he stroked his fingers across me but it was a light touch, teasing me and making me ache for him. I tried to push back against his fingers but I couldn't move. He was too strong.
But it was more than that.
There had been no promise of possession, no bargain between him and me. No unspoken sentences defining what was. There had been his house with me gripping the sink. There had been the path with him stepping in front of me. There had been Red growling.
Mine. My property.
I could move but I didn't want to. I wanted this man behind me with his strong hand on my back. I wanted him pulling up my skirt.
I wanted to be possessed.
I felt Red's hand on my hip and then I felt his cock slide inside me. I was so wet there was barely any resistance. I felt myself stretch around him, felt him filling me up and I turned by head back to see him behind me, his eyes golden, his teeth sharp. I could see the animal in him. He pulled back and then forward again and I closed my eyes and gripped the sofa. He'd barely touched me but I could feel the warm tension from within me that would build until it exploded. I heard his breathing and then a growl, low, almost below the threshold of hearing. Red pulled back on my dress and started fucking me, hard and fast. My breaths became gasps and I kept opening my eyes only to close them again in the rush of pleasure. My thighs were pressed against the sofa but Red kept pulling me back against him, over and over again. I was unbalanced and completely under his control. He moved fast and the slowed and I groaned but couldn't make him speed up again. He brought me close to coming and then backed off and I bit my lip as he slowly fucked me on a new plateau. Up and down, faster and slower but in the end we kept climbing the mountain. My legs were trembling and all sound had vanished except for our breathing and the sound of his body against mine. I heard Red growling, a deep bass that set off something inside me and he sped up, holding me still while he fucked me. Reason and thought vanished as the pleasure between my legs burst out over me. I nearly screamed and felt my eyes rolling as I came, Red thrusting into me over and over. He didn't stop or slow and I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't move. All there was in the world was him. Somehow the peak led to a new peak and I moaned, shuddering and gasping, coming again as I felt Red come inside me. His fast movement slowed and I could feel his cock pressing against my g-spot. With each throb of blood, it sent a press of pleasure through me.
Red pulled away from me and then lifted me away from the sofa. I was limp in his arms, my legs buzzing and finding it difficult to stand. He kissed me gently on the lips and adjusted my dress, covering up my ass and pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. I could have slept if we'd been in bed. I could still feel the heat radiating off Red's body and I realized I was damp with sweat. Red was naked from the waist down, his shirt open and showing a spectacular torso that only came from long hours of hard work. His jeans and boots were behind him. I hadn't even realized he taken them off.
"That was-"
I didn't get to finish my sentence. From outside a man yelled and then there was a howl that pierced the night. I felt it in my bones. It hurt.
"Stay," Red said in a voice more growl than spoken. His eyes were a deep golden and his teeth were pointed.
He leapt past me, pulling off his shirt as he went. He was so fast, like liquid lightning. I turned at the sound of the glass window shattering and saw the back end of a wolf drop over the ledge and into the darkness.
I rushed to the window and saw a dark shape leap out of the darkness. A gray wolf. It turned and then a wolf with a dark streak of black crashed into it like it had been thrown. Both vanished into the bushes near the building. I heard another howl and then the sound of voices as people spilled out the front of the hall.
I pulled away from the window but I wasn't fast enough. A girl with long black hair wearing a deep red swing dancing outfit turned the corner and looked straight up at me with a scowl.
I had to get out of here.
I gathered up Red's clothes and then realized what I'd look like if I went rushing out into the crowd with an armful of men's clothing. I rushed to the desk and went through the drawers. In the bottom of one I found a battered plastic bag that had seen better days. It would have to do. I shoved Red's clothes and boots into it and then went to grab his hat, keeping well out of sight of the crowd outside the window.
I picked up his hat and then looked up at the wall at a headline:
MASS SLAYING AT FINCH FARM
It was only half a front page, the bottom part torn away. Something was written below the headline in small print but it was too dark in the office and I couldn't get close enough to read it without being seen from outside. Another day. I turned and rushed out.
Downstairs the dance was still continuing although it appeared half the crowd was now outside milling around the building. I made my way around the outside of the hall and out the front door, keeping my head down. I had no idea where Red was (or if he was even in human form) and I certainly had no desire to run into Freyr. I did have a quick look for Katy and Tara but couldn't see them. I joined the few members of the crowd who had clearly decided the noise outside meant the end of the night and headed for the rear car-park.
I was almost back at Boris when the girl with the dark hair and red dress stepped out from behind a car.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Her voice was low and angry but I was in no mood.
"I'm going home."
She stalked towards me and I dropped the bag of Red's clothes on the ground, ready to punch her in the face if it came to it.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I said I'm going home! What?"
She looked down at the bag and then up at me. She sniffed the air, breathing in and looking me over.
"What do you think you're doing with him?"
Him. Red.
"He's all over you."
I wasn't drunk - the physical exertion had worked all the alcohol out of me - but I just couldn't take this. I'd been up and down and had too much this week. I still wasn't entirely sure I was through the driving hang-over. To go all gangster, I didn't need this skinny bitch getting up in my face. And when I got mad, I got sweary.
"Who the fuck are you? I'm going home so fuck off."
I picked up the bag and got into Boris, dropping Red's clothes in the seat beside me. I started him up and then the girl appeared at the window. I reached for the door handle, ready to shove it out, to hit her, to fight.
"I'm Red's wife."
She kicked Boris and then walked off into darkness, leaving me sitting there holding the steering wheel, feeling like I was going to die.
His wife?
Fuck, Harper.
***