Bewitching the Werewolf (2 page)

He looked like he was enjoying my discomfort. “Oh, really?”

“
Yes! We’re gonna get a handle on this—
fix
this, asap!”

I think he looked briefly at my chest, and then, I
think
he said, “I hope you do get a handle on the situation.”

I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean it suggestively, that he was just repeating my own words back to me, but my libido heard it differently and I almost combusted on the spot.

He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie a little, which was a bit endearing. Then he started talking again. “People have been waiting for me to find a mate for years. Did you know that an alpha mates young? I should have been mated at 25. But they were patient with me. Now the patience is gone. If you can’t do it-- raise a spark in me or help me find my mate-- I’ll have to come up with something else. I don’t know what but I can’t leave these people with no children. I can’t fail them.”

“
And there is no one you want?”

“
Look. I’ve tried. I’ve dated. I’ve slept around. I’ve been to other packs and felt the moon’s call with them but there has never been that click. A wolf mates forever. It’s instantaneous and we know. That’s what I’ve been told. But not for me.”

The thought of him sleeping around really bugged me but it was none of my business. I tried to push the jealousy away.

He turned and looked at me then picked up a crystal paperweight from his desk, tossing it up and down in his hand absently. “The council believes I need to be more aggressive, take more partners until the beast decides.”

“
They want you to sleep around.”

He gave a small smile, “Yeah, why am I arguing right?”

“
Why are you arguing? Isn’t it like a male fantasy to sleep with everyone in sight? Be panted over by lots of hot…bitches?” I wondered if it was alright to say bitches since they were female dogs. It should be technically correct.

“
I’m not sure if I can say this without sounding like an asshole but…I’ve done that. I’ve slept around and I’ve played the field. Now I’m ready to…possess. I want to own my mate and be owned in return. That’s what missing. I don’t want to fuck every woman hoping she’ll be the one, but it’s getting to the point where something drastic will have to happen.”

He scrubbed his face with his hands and then he looked at me with an earnest, almost pleading look. “My whole life I have expected to find my soul mate. I’ve seen it happen to others over and over…everyone says when it happens you know. So I thought I would. Now I wonder if I missed it or if maybe there is something wrong with me.”

“
There is absolutely nothing wrong with you,” I said on a dreamy sigh.

He frowned at me.

“
Sorry. Okay, how can I help you?”

“
Shouldn’t you know the answer to that question?” There was no animosity in his voice, but I could tell he was at a bit of a loss.

“
You are exactly right.”
And if you were not messing with my hormones I’d have a game plan.
I stood up. “So, I’m gonna go and think about this and come up with a plan. I will need to see you interact with the pack and with… the females. A little hocus pocus and hopefully you’ll be poking your one true love in no time.” Oh man, I really said that. I was backing towards the door, while he looked at me like I was an injured bird he might have to put out of its misery.

“
Fine. There is an auction tonight. A fundraiser for Muscular Dystrophy at 7pm. I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”

I blinked.

He smiled and I almost said something obscene. Little lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, and a trace of a laugh line was on each side of his mouth. Zack was even hotter when he was happy.

Figured.

“
We only run around naked and eating rabbits on the full moon. Most of the time we are quite civilized.”

“
Oh.” Not my wittiest response.

And then I bolted.

Chapter 3

I took the opportunity to dress up
very
seriously. It sounds stupid, but I have a thing for little black dresses. Especially when they are on a clearance rack. And it happens a lot, because all women love a little black dress, and yet, have nowhere to go.

Hence, they go on clearance until some chump like me comes along and buys it. Even though I know I’ll just stick it in my closet and watch it turn grey from dust.

But not tonight!

There was a knock on the door at 6:30 sharp. I opened the door and there was Zack. He was wearing a tux. An expensive, custom made tux, which meant that not only did I get to see how square his broad shoulders were, but I could see his lean waist and imagine the washboard abs that were undoubtedly rippling with every breath.

Dogs aren’t the only ones who drool.

“
Hi. You look wonderful.” He was looking me up and down like he meant it.

I blushed and beckoned him inside.

I just needed perfume and my purse. He followed me in, glancing around the room. I grabbed my perfume off the bed and was about to spritz it on when Zack spoke up.

“
Sorry, could you not put perfume on? I’ve got a massive headache and my super power is a heightened sense of smell.” He seemed apologetic.

“
Sure. No problem.” Super-smell? I couldn’t imagine that was much of a plus. “I already put on body lotion. Hopefully it’s not too strong.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I’d never had to apologize for smelling
good
before. “Do you want me to get rid of your headache?”

He looked at my lips. “Can you do that?”

I tried desperately not to lick them or slap my hand over my mouth to hide myself away from him.

“
Yeah. Start getting your money’s worth, huh? Just sit down.”

He unbuttoned the jacket of his suit and sat down on the bed. The only chair was covered in clothes. There is no magic spell for putting clothes away, trust me.

My stomach flip flopped. I had this desperate urge to push him back and climb on top of him. Hot, hot, man.

Zack looked at me, his nostrils flaring slightly and I had this sudden and profound worry that he could smell my desire. His hands went to his thighs and he rubbed his pants briefly as though cold.

“
Or I could give you an Advil?” I said, hoping he’d take me up on it. It was entirely possible I would sexually assault him if I got too close.

And I
think
that might be enough to get me fired.

His gaze met mine before sliding down my body like I was a bloody steak. It was the wolf who was watching me now. Cold and calculating instead of the Ivy League businessman. His voice was little more than a growl that vibrated through me. “No. You do it.”

Oh mama.

I took a step closer to him and then another, so that I was standing right between his legs. A chair would have been better-- then I could have stood behind him. But the only thing worse than standing between his legs would be crawling onto the bed behind him.

He leaned back, tilting his head up so he could watch my face. He appeared relaxed but I didn’t see how he could be. He inhaled as I came close to him, eyes closing in a long blink. When he opened them again, they were golden.

I raised my hands to his hair while he watched me. My fingers sank into the soft mass and I think one of us moaned aloud. His hair was soft but crisp, thick and dense. I felt his aura, had to push through the invisible barrier to reach
him
. Zack was the alpha for his pack. All that energy tightly coiled around him, protected him and gave him some natural immunity to witchcraft unless I was able to get underneath it.

I shivered, then breathed deeper, trying to relax and let his aura coat mine and focus on him alone. After a few moments, I looked down at Zack. “Are you staring at my chest?”

“
No. That would be wrong,” he said, still staring at my breasts that were inches from his nose.

“
Can you relax and try to open yourself up a little so I can reach you?”

“
Open myself up a little,” he murmured, like he didn’t quite understand. He shifted a little and I felt him try to accept me, my aura suddenly merging with his. It was a little disorienting, like I was suddenly me and a little bit someone else.

I took several deep breaths, trying to calm myself down and channel my energy and magic from me to him. Magical energy that nipped across my nerves like red ants swept up my body, seeped from my core and heart down through my arms, into my fingers and into him. His hands tightened on the bedspread and I felt his whole body go tense. It shouldn’t hurt but he looked like he was in pain.

“
I’m almost there.”

“
Tell me about it,” he mumbled darkly.

Uh-oh
. Magic is unpredictable. It affects different people in different ways. Sometimes it’s relaxing, other times it hurts and, occasionally, magic is pleasurable.

Even pleasurable magic has levels, it can feel like that fleeting sensation one has on that first bite of ice cream. Or it can be like an adrenaline rush that makes one’s heart pound and steals your breath.

And every now and again, if the chemistry is just right, the planets are aligned, gods are smiling down upon you, etc., it can feel like that shining moment just before orgasm.

And there is always a backlash. A fraction of whatever they are feeling comes back to me along with the magic. Or in this case, the pain from his headache.

And it was just about to hit me.

I’ve done this awhile. I knew which category he fell into and I also knew that if we were not careful we’d have sex on this bed-- fundraiser and gainful employment be damned. I tried to brace myself a little. Like adjusting my stance for a punch. But the magic returned to me, slamming into me like a WWF wrestler on Crank.

The magic had me damp and panting, feeling desperate and empty. My body felt like one of those videos of a flower blooming at high speed.

I swayed forward, arching my body closer to his, forearms along both sides of his head, almost shoving his face into my cleavage as I tried to reel the magic back into my body.

With a moan, I climbed onto the bed, my thigh sliding along the outside of his so I could straddle him and shove him back onto the bed. Instantly, his hand grabbed onto me, just below my ass, pulling me into him with a guttural noise. His other arm wrapped around my waist, hauling me into his lap, his fingers sliding my little black dress up to my hips so he could press his erection flush against my core.

This was very bad.

He was huge, hard and perfect against me. Impotence was definitely not the problem. Any second now he was going to throw me down on the bed and take me. His aura had changed, spiked with desire and passion, his hands were on my waist, trembling in agitation to move as he held still.

“
It’s almost done. Just a second!” I gasped out. His fingers clenched against my skin, moving along the silky material so he had a good grip on each cheek as he tried to get me a little closer to his cock.

My magic sped through him like a tornado instead of a breeze, the areas of pain and tension like a red neon sign blurred in the fog. My aura coated his, dissipating the tension, channeling it back into me.

It was quick, no more than a few seconds.

I pulled my magic back out of him, neutralizing it and pushing it away from me. The magic was gone but the desire wasn’t.

Don’t fuck the client.

I jerked backwards, nylons making my legs slippery on the bedspread. I was falling to the floor but he caught me, righting me so we both stood, facing each other.