Howl at the Moon (15 page)

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The days seemed to fly by faster than Tatiana would have ever thought. She missed Clyde with an ache that was deep in her soul. Her hands just couldn’t replace the feel of his thick cock going in and out of her but she tried to mimic it as best she could. She brought herself to weak orgasms that left her feeling achy and unfulfilled. They at least allowed her to make it through the day. She had turned into a sex-crazed maniac. Every time she thought of him, she needed to come. Her nipples were aching pebbles, her pussy was moist and so very empty. She needed him so bad, so deep inside it was like an itch that was constant as she moved around. She went to work as normal, answering any questions that Nique had, rescheduling meetings, and moving things around.

She didn’t want to think about the ball. It seemed like suddenly it was that night and Tatiana hadn’t gone into a single store to buy clothing or a mask, as she was directed not to by Aaron. She had to admit though that having the others in the house made things easier. With them, there she wasn’t so alone and Ayana and Sean seemed to understand the need for her mate. They distracted her as best they could until she was alone in her room at night. There they couldn’t take away the pain of Clyde’s disappearance. But she knew that this was better for him, that when he came back he would be much more comfortable in his own skin. She just needed him so much.

“It’s time to get ready,” Aaron said and her gaze swung to him.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said to him and it wasn’t for the reason he probably thought when she saw his face crumple into annoyance.

“Now, we have worked too damn hard on this for a whopping show of your insecurities again,” he argued, confirming her thoughts.

“It’s not that. I ache,” she moaned. Ayana rubbed her arm soothingly.

“It’s perfectly normal for you to feel like that when you’re not near your mate. He has been gone for several weeks and your body needs him to complete the ritual. By now, Ethane and Collin have taught him what he must do to finish it. After tonight, everything will change. It will be much easier for you. You just have to accept it and accept him. Are you ready for that?”

“I think I’m just about ready for anything just as long as his dick’s inside of me,” Tatiana grumbled.

“Damn,” Aaron exclaimed then. “That serious?”

“You have no idea, chickapea,” Sean interrupted. “If I don’t have Collin in me at least twice a day, I’m going to run for the hills. So we are all going a little bonkers right now without our mates.”

“That was a lot of information,” Ayana said, wide-eyed.

“Oh, don’t you act like you aren’t just as bad. Matter of fact I think you’re worst, you just try to act prim and proper, but I know better,” Sean argued, sticking his tongue out at her.

“Stank ho,” Ayana growled.

“Love you too.” The laughter and the banter around softened the ache until she was finally able to breathe steadily.

“Let’s just get ready for the ball. Once we get there, everything will be much more comfortable for you okay? We’ll head to my shop.”

Tatiana rode in the car with them blindly. The twins had gone with their father. Tatiana figured that they would help show Clyde to turn into the wolf easier. He would be comforted by their presences and what they were, just as Tatiana had been. Or at least she thought so. At first, she had been worried that Ayana would miss her children terribly but she seemed to be mentally connected to them in a way that Tatiana couldn’t understand. The Fairy Drag Mother loomed in front of them after a few moments and they all filed out of the car and into the store.

“Every time I come into this store I am so proud of you. You’ve done good, chickapea. Very good. I hear that most of my children from the House of Kox come here for their stage attire.” Sean said to Aaron.

“They are some of my best customers. But I’m expanding. I may have some of the ladies of the FBar coming in to purchase their clothing from me. That would be a huge step. They are performers at one of the largest clubs in Houston,” Aaron answered.

“That would be amazing. I’d be very happy for you if that falls into place.” He clapped his hands and turned to Ayana. “Now, I think I’m going to go through a little transformation and bring Fonda Kox back out into the world.” He laughed and disappeared among the racks to find something to wear. Something in the name triggered in Tatiana’s mind and she burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

“Fonda Kox. Oh my God. I finally made the connection,” Tatiana said still doubled over.

“You should have seen me the first time I heard it. I was still in college at the time. I could barely breathe when I realized the play on words. You’ll learn that around drags they always come up with a name that has a dual meaning to it. You just have to think hard enough to get it,” Ayana explained.

“That is priceless,” Tatiana finally gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. Aaron looked at her.

“Now I am going to transform into Coco and I’ll be back to get you ready.”

“Okay,” Tatiana said, waving him off and then went and sat in the chair she’d first been in coming into the store. It seemed like so long ago when she first met Aaron. Ayana scooted next to her.

“This shop is amazing. It’s like pure fantasy come true,” Ayana sighed and Tatiana agreed wholeheartedly.

There was something magical and wondrous about the Fairy Drag Mother shop. It felt like all of one’s dreams could come true and all of the thoughts and pressures of the world could just melt away. That was what Aaron and Coco had created here, what they were creating for her. A little while later Coco and Fonda returned.

Coco was dressed with her hair in a messy bun, her makeup perfection in gold, blue, and green colors. It was perfect and it almost looked like she had a dewy quality to her skin. She looked as if she were a fairy. The sprinkles that extended from her eyes into her hairline made her look ethereal. Her dress was a sea-green gown of ripples that wafted as if caught in a breeze as she moved. On her back, she had two delicate wings that were thin with silvery membranes streaking throughout them. In her hand, she held a silver mask that would cover the top of her face from nose to forehead. On top of it, the mask had white wisps that hung down. She looked like a real life fairy.

“Wow,” was all she could say.

Beside Coco, Fonda was just as beautiful. She wore a simple black tube dress that had a mermaid bottom that flowed into ruffles. The silhouette of her body was something that Tatiana couldn’t imagine looking like, even after spending several years in the gym. Her hair fell down her shoulders in a wave of gold and blond over her cafe skin. She had also used a gold tone for her makeup, but hers was completed with smoky eyes and nude lips shining with gloss.

“Now that we’re done,” Fonda began and Tatiana could hear the lighter tone that Sean used when he was Fonda. “Let’s get you ladies ready. Ayana you’re mine, of course, and Tatiana will be going with Coco.”

“I’m in,” Ayana said leaping to her feet and Tatiana wondered if this was a natural thing for the two of them. They laughed as they ran through the store picking at different items until Fonda stopped.

“Come on, girl, you need to listen to me anyway. You already know better,” Fonda said and they disappeared into the back. Tatiana’s gaze swung to Coco.

“It’s good seeing you again, friend,” she said smiling up at Coco and she pulled her into her arms for a fierce hug.

“I want to thank you,” Coco whispered.

“For what?”

“For just accepting me as who I am and never batting an eyelash at my lifestyle. It’s really hard to find people who will do that so easily and you did that for me. I promise you I will make tonight everything that you dream it will be.”

Tatiana felt tears cloud her vision. “I would just like to continue to call you my friend,” Tatiana responded as Coco wiped the tears from her eyes.

“No, don’t make me mess up my makeup. We can have our moment after we are done with tonight. Right now, I need to get you ready.” She hiccupped behind her hand and Tatiana let her change the subject.

It was enough that she said thank you in the first place. Tatiana was sure that neither Aaron nor Coco said really thank you to many people in their lives and it warmed her heart that she was now one of the few people that had been blessed with that.

After a few minutes, Coco came back with a beautiful white gown that almost looked like a wedding dress. The chiffon material flared out from the waist down and fell gracefully to the floor. The top was snug and formfitting with a sheer piece that came up around her neck on one side and attached to the opposite shoulder at the back. It looked like they had sewn diamonds all over the fitted top and it shimmered in the light.

“That is absolutely beautiful. What rack was that one hiding on?”

“Don’t you worry about it. Now remember, that I’m your Fairy Drag Mother and I can create any fantasy you want. Now sit down here and we’ll get you ready.”

Tatiana sat as she was directed while Coco combed, plucked, dotted, lotioned, and put makeup on her face until she didn’t even feel like herself anymore. When she looked in the mirror, she had one side of her face heavily made up with the makeup streaking into her hairline with silver, black, and white being the color scheme to tie into her dress. The lines of her face looked almost like a small flame and matched a piece made of silver filigree that was in place to hold her hair. From there Coco had combed and curled her hair to one side so the curls spilled over to one side. She was happy for the versatility of her micros. Her lips were a soft nude that made her mouth look plump. Her other eye had less makeup on it with just the general eye shadow and liner.

“Why does this lid have less?” she asked Coco.

“Because that is where your mask is going, silly. I want to make sure you don’t get too hot under there with too much stage makeup on.”

“Oh,” Tatiana shrugged. Coco turned with a look that said she realized that Tatiana didn’t quite get it. She grasped a small mask. It would only fit over Tatiana’s eye. Coco slid it into place and pinned the ends into Tatiana’s curls so that it would not move. It had faux diamonds, much like her dress did, and glittered in the light. Coco pinned the ends into Tatiana’s hair and the small mask covered the top of one cheekbone, her eyes, and the half of her forehead right over the eye. She almost had the Phantom of the Opera effect. The vision was breathtaking. She looked like the Queen of Winter who was readying to survey her subjects. Tatiana thought she had never looked that beautiful in her life.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“We’re not done yet.” When she turned Coco was holding her dress up. She helped her step in to the fabric and then turned her around. She clinched the hooks in the back and adjusted the sheer piece to make sure it settled correctly. Tatiana turned around to look into the mirror. She was a vision of silver, black, and white. A vision that even she couldn’t believe was her.

Cinderella was ready for the ball.

Chapter Eighteen

Tatiana let herself become someone else behind the diamond mask and dressed as Cinderella. She let Tatiana and all of her worries and fears fade to the background. When she walked in, she was the stepsister turned into the future queen of fantasy. She held her head high as she looked at those around her. Some gasped when they saw her, not even realizing that she could look this way. She smiled and inclined her head at those and talked to others.

Watching Coco mesmerize the crowd as her Fairy Drag Mother was some of the most fun she’d ever had at one of these events. Coco had even come with a satchel full of fairy dust—that she had gotten from Lord knows where—and would sprinkle it on unsuspecting partygoers as they laughed and twirled like children under the sparkles. It was as if tonight was something much more magical than it had been planned to be. Tatiana sat on pins and needles, waiting for Clyde to arrive. She was anxious for the relief her body would feel when his masculine form entered the same plane of space she was on. She could feel it in her bones. She was searching for him when Sharice appeared at her side.

“Well, aren’t you all pretty and refined,” she said to her.

“It happens,” Tatiana replied, not willing to let Sharice get her down while she continued to look for Clyde.

“He’s not here, if Clyde is who you’re looking for. He was a little tired,” Sharice finished.

“Really?” Tatiana asked.

“Well, yes. You didn’t think I wasn’t going to go after him, did you?”

Tatiana chuckled to herself. This little stupid bitch didn’t know where Clyde had been, but Tatiana did. She felt it to her soul that he was coming. If Sharice wanted to act, for whatever reason, as if she had a piece of Clyde, Tatiana would disabuse her of the notion quick enough.

“Is that so?” she asked Sharice.

“I do apologize, Tatiana, but we just couldn’t help ourselves. He’s been gone from work for a while. He wasn’t sure exactly how you would take it. He didn’t know how to tell you that we are a couple now. I just told him that if he would go away for a little while and give us a chance to get use to our relationship, I would tell you. That would be easier on all of us.”

Tatiana just stared at her, wondering why she would lie in such a way and then tossing that thought away. She didn’t frankly care why Sharice would lie. Tatiana smiled to herself as she looked over Sharice’s shoulder and saw the man her body had been aching for. It was as if everything in her had relaxed. He was dressed a Prince Charming, complete with polished Hessians and a white military jacket. His black slacks tucked into the knee-high boots and there were golden tassels on his shoulders.