Authors: Elisa Elliot
ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (107 page)
Artie had to prevent himself from ringing his hands and hanging his head in shame.
“I’m sorry to say that we will have to postpone your couple activity until later tonight, for now, I think it is best that we engage in an impromptu emergency therapy session to discuss what just happened here.
Samantha sighed, crossing her arms and not caring if she looked like a petulant child as she followed Greg with her head held as high as she could muster.
A little less confident, Artie followed behind, hands in pockets and head attempting to stay up.
10
“So,” Greg began, that annoying drawl grating on the couple’s nerves. “Who would like to begin?”
Artie and Samantha glanced at each other, locking eyes for a second and silently prompting the other to start. Seeing that Artie was still a tad terrified that Samantha would attack him again, she decided to begin.
“Well, I will start with saying I don’t like being treated like a common criminal by being handcuffed.”
“That’s a bit dramatic” Artie said quietly, wincing at the sharp glance Samantha shot him.
“I just, this isn’t what we signed up for. Being cuffed together? Honestly, that’s just a disaster waiting to happen at this place. I’m actually surprised that we’re the first to have an incident like this.”
“The other couples’ progress isn’t really our concern right now. No, what I’m more curious to know is, what caused this incident. I’d like to start with you Samantha. And Artie, if you would, please remain silent while Samantha is speaking.”
Artie nodded, pantomiming zipping his lips and throwing away the key.
Seemingly satisfied that he would keep his mouth shut, Dr. Greg looked to Samantha to begin.
“It’s what I tried to say earlier” Samantha said. “I feel like he doesn’t listen. I’ll try and say something but he just doesn’t pay attention. It’s like it never registers. And what’s worse is he always puts on these airs around people, myself included, when we’re in public. He has to be the big man on campus, all macho, follow me and all you other peasants follow along.
“That’s what I think at least caused the fight. He was trying to lead me like a dog earlier with the handcuffs being our leash. It angered me so I tried to lead, and he tugged me back and I fell. And it angered me when he didn’t even care that his pulling me down stained my new jeans that I really liked.”
“Mhmm,” Greg hummed, writing furiously on his clipboard, “so maybe it’s not exactly the jeans that you’re really upset about but maybe it’s what you perceive to be a lack of caring on Artie’s part.”
“Yes, thank you,” Samantha said, gesturing to Greg. “I feel taken advantage of on occasion, I cook, I clean, I try to hang out with his ‘pack’ but lately it seems like he wants to spend less and less time with me. I just don’t feel like he wants me anymore.”
Artie did a double take. He couldn’t believe Samantha thought that. Not want her? He couldn’t think of anything more ridiculous. When they had first met he remembered how he couldn’t take his eyes off of her from the moment she walked into the room. And after years of marriage it was still the same. She was beautiful, her long hair and her cute nose that wrinkled when she laughed and her one thousand watt smile that lit up the room.
“Not want you, are you kidding me?” Artie asked, turning to face Samantha. “How could I not want you? I just feel like sometimes I’m never good enough for you, like I try to do something you ask but it’s never good enough, or it’s not the way you would have done it, you scrutinize and pick apart.”
Greg scribbled furiously. “Good, that’s good Artie. It’s sounding like to me that you feel inferior sometimes when you attempt to perform tasks and so instead of opening yourself up to those feelings you attempt to avoid them by tuning Samantha out. Am I right?”
Artie shifted, feeling uncomfortable opening up like this in front of a stranger, but Samantha was watching him intently and so he nodded, feeling he should, if anything, be honest.
“Samantha, does Artie do things wrong in your opinion?” Greg asked, causing Artie’s head to shoot up. He thought Greg was supposed to be a mediator, not encourage Samantha to play the blame Artie game.
“No, it’s not that. It’s just we have different ways of going about things. And I get upset when it’s not my way,” Samantha said, pursing her lips when Greg gave her a look that implied her statement was just a tad ridiculous.
“Well,” Greg said, writing more in his notes. “You both are adults, Artie is an adult, and part of being an adult is accepting responsibility. In a marriage it’s a partnership, give and take. It can’t always be my way or the highway. I think, if you try a hands-off approach and let Artie do the things you ask his way, as long as the finished result is correct, then you would find yourself having less problems.
And Artie, I think you would do well to trust Samantha has the ability to let go and start opening yourself up to her. I also think that you should try taking more time out of your week for Samantha. Spend less time with your buddies or, your pack, as you called it, and more time being a gentle husband. Drop the ‘macho man’ persona as Samantha refers to it and remember that you’re only one of a pair. Work in tandem, it’s a partnership.”
Artie nodded, a bit intimidated by the serious and expectant look Greg was giving him.
“Yeah, I think I can do that.”
“Me too,” Samantha said, reaching over and lacing her fingers with Artie’s.
“Alright then,” Greg said, “well, as part of your positive punishment that you earned earlier with your show, you are to stay in here for thirty minutes. I will leave and work out the best activities for you to perform with the other Marriage Menders. While you’re in here I would encourage you two to make up with one another for earlier. I wish you both luck,” Greg finished, standing, brushing off his brown jacket and exiting the room with a soft shutting of the door.
The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, holding tightly to the other’s hand but not quite meeting the other’s gaze.
After about two more minutes, Samantha finally spoke.
“I’m sorry for trying to choke you out earlier. And, for pulling your hair and fur. I may have overreacted a tad.”
Artie chuckled, “Maybe just a tad. But it’s my fault too, I shouldn’t have tried to pull you and definitely should have cared about your pants. If you’ll let me, I’ll get the stains out myself.”
Samantha gave him a small smile, “Thank you, that would be great.”
“And I’m sorry for scratching you,” Artie added as an afterthought.
Samantha laughed, “It’s not a problem, I probably would have done a lot worse in your position.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second, you’re one never to be messed with,” Artie said, bringing their joined hands up to place a brief kiss on the back of Samantha’s.
Samantha grinned as Artie then used her arm to pull her out of her chair and then around to standing in front of his chair. Samantha shook her head, smiling at the eyebrow wiggle Artie gave her before she complied and perched herself on his lap, feet dangling over the side of the chair.
“Yes, can I help you?” she asked playfully, leaning her head back as Artie placed a soft kiss on her neck, humming to himself as he slowly made his way upward along the column of her throat.
“Well,” he whispered, sucking on the lobe of her ear lightly before running his teeth along it playfully, “If we’re going to kiss and make up properly, now that we’ve made up, we have to do the kissing.”
Samantha let out a breathy chuckle, eyes fluttering shut as Artie slipped a hand beneath her blouse to trail his fingers sensually down her spine with feather-light touches.
“I guess I could agree with that,” Samantha said, gasping as Artie’s hands tightened around her and he bucked up, lifting her effortlessly and carrying her across the room before setting her on Greg’s desk.
“You guess?” he teased, settling between Samantha’s legs and hovering in front of her so that their lips just barely grazed if either of them spoke.
“We’ll see in a minute,” Samantha smiled, bringing a hand up to caress Artie’s head before letting her fingers tangle in his hair to bring him forward for a kiss.
Artie smiled into it, taking Samantha’s bottom lip into his mouth and suckling it the way he knew she loved and Samantha used her legs to draw him forward. Artie steadied himself on the desk behind her, trying to keep the kiss light but passionate enough to make Samantha lean forward in a request for more when he finally pulled away for air.
He brought a hand up, toying with the top button of Samantha’s blouse for a second, about to undo it when they were suddenly interrupted by the office door opening.
Artie turned around, smiling to himself as Samantha quickly wrapped her arms around his chest to ensure that he didn’t move away, too aroused to care about their uninvited guests.
Artie could barely suppress his laugh as he was met with the gob-smacked faces of Jim and Tina.
“Sorry, but we’re going to need the room for about thirty more minutes.” Artie said kindly.
Samantha snorted, “Oh please, that’s generous, we’ll be done in ten, take a walk and we’ll see you later.”
Spluttering, Tina pushed Jim out of the doorway and slammed the door shut in indignation.
When he heard their footsteps fading down the hall, Artie guffawed, letting out the laugh he had been holding in during the brief encounter.
Samantha smiled, placing a quick kiss on Artie’s cheek as she pulled him closer.
Artie realized that they still had a few things to work on and a ways to go but he was now sure that, whatever else came their way, they’d be just fine.
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I pushed the button on the blender and watched as the mixture turned
form separate pieces of raw meat, milk and Exvino into a red mushy smoothie. The kitchen was spotless, with the buttery light making it look soft and homely in the early hours of the night. The only workspace that
was dirty was the countertop I was using.
Lashan liked his home clean and tidy. I worked hard to keep it that way.
Lashan walked into the kitchen, the paper under his arm. I turned my head for a peck on the mouth, but he kissed me on the cheek. “Evening, honey,” he said and sat down, flipping open the paper. We weren’t going to have much of a conversation. We didn’t often anymore. I poured half of the smoothie into a glass for him. He took it from me, his eyes on the headlines, and took a sip.
“Geez, Leanne, what is this?” he stared into his glass with a sour face, working his jaws in a circle.
“Breakfast,” I said calmly, pouring a glass for myself and sitting down at the table with him.
“I wish you’d stop using that damn substitute. I need real blood to function.”
I shrugged. “If you’re going to make time to hunt, I’ll serve it. But I’m not going out there and killing those animals. You know how much I hate it.”
Lashan shook his head and put down the smoothie. “I don’t understand why you’re going against your nature. We’re a vampire, for god’s sake. Blood is what keeps us alive.”
I got up and poured his smoothie down the drain.
“Don’t be mad,” he said, twisting in his chair to look at me. “I just don’t see why you have to be so different about it. All vampires kill animals. It’s natural.”
“I don’t like it. You didn’t have a problem with my ways when we got married.”
He exaggerated a sigh. “Your family had a different way of doing things… I accepted it. But you learn and grow when you break away from your parents. We have the money to eat whatever we want now.”
“My family didn’t substitute blood because they were poor. They were compassionate.”
Lashan kept quiet for a moment, the words he wouldn’t speak hanging in the air. Is there a difference? He always asked me that.
“You know I love you, right?” he asked after the silence like that would erase whatever the problem was. I nodded.
He looked at his wristwatch. “I have to get going,” he said and stood up. I didn’t move from the sink. Instead I leaned against the counter with my hips and folded my arms over my chest. Lashan scraped some papers together and stuffed it in his briefcase, and walked out the kitchen.
“Love you,” he called from the front door before it slammed shut behind him.
“You said,” I answered to the empty house.
When I heard his car pull out of the drive I wiped down the counter with a wet cloth and rinsed out the blender, packing it on the rack to dry. Then I went to the bedroom to get ready for work.
Lashan wanted me to be a housewife. He believed it was a women’s job to keep the house tidy, ready for him to come home to, and raise the children while he was out earning the money. Five years down the line we had no children, and I had realized a long time ago that it was impossible to keep him happy. So I’d gotten a job. I worked from nine in the evening until three in the morning. I clocked in an hour after he did and left an hour before, so that I was home to have his supper ready when he came home an hour before dawn.
He didn’t know. I’d been doing it for four years. The money I earned I had in a separate account. I was leading a double life.
I think the only thing that bothered me about the double life I led, was that it didn’t bother me at all. Having secrets from Lashan seemed like second nature by now, because he didn’t seem to care that he knew nothing of my life.
I swapped my nightgown for a pencil skirt and button-up blouse. I pinned my hair up in a French Roll, and put on three inch black heels. A bit of make-up, mascara, some lipstick, and the transformation was complete. Last of all I pulled my wedding ring off finger, and tucked it away in my cupboard. I didn’t want to be Mrs. Lashan when I was at work. I wanted to get out from under the image that my husband forced on me. At work I was still Mrs. Herring, I couldn’t lie about being married, but at least I was Leanne. Independent of a man.
Myself.
At the office, the doorman nodded at me, giving me a smile that flashed straight teeth. It had taken me a while to get used to that. I worked at a firm where different creatures mixed. It wasn’t vampire only.
Lashan always insisted that we only mix with our own kind. It was racial thing. But I didn’t see the point. Harley, the receptionist, was a werewolf just like the doorman, and they were both nicer to me than our social circle had ever been.
“You look nice today,” Charlene said to me when I walked into the board room.
“Thanks, I thought I’d try something different with my hair.”
“It suits you.”
I touched the back of my hairdo to check for loose strands. We both stood together behind the big table, waiting for the first directors to arrive. Charlene was a Personal Assistant to Mr. Ring, the CEO of the company. I was Project Assistant, which really meant I was just a personal assistant to the rest of the board.
One by one the directors started filtering in. I knew all of them well. They took their seats around the table. Most of them were vampires. We were at the top of the hierarchy. But two of the directors weren’t. Mr. Spelling was a were-rat, an abomination of a creature if you asked me, and even in human form he had a sharp face and teeth that protruded from his mouth. I didn’t like him.
The other director was Mrs. Nancy Star. She was a strange kind of shifter, changing into any kind of bird she wanted to. I heard somewhere that even though she could change into an eagle or a vulture, she preferred birds like hummingbirds or sparrows. She was out of place in a room full of predators.
“Is everyone ready?” Mr. Ring asked. Charlene and I often joked that he was the Ring leader.
“We’re just waiting for Crowe,” one of the other men answered.
“Crowe?” I whispered to Charlene. I didn’t know the name.
“They hired a new Marketing Strategist,” she answered back. “He was with Ring yesterday.”
There was no chance to elaborate, because a man entered. I assumed he was Mr. Crowe, not because he fit in with the board of directors. On the contrary. The only reason I believed he belonged was because of his attitude. The atmosphere in the room changed when he walked in.
“Gentleman, you’ve heard a lot about the man. It’s my pleasure to introduce Donald Crowe.”
Donald sat down in the last empty seat, and Ring called the meeting to order. While he spoke, I only paid half my attention to what was being said. The rest of it went to Donald. He was a big man, thick in the shoulders, with a big chest and a trim waist. He looked like he could take out a football team. When he moved, however, he moved with fluid grace that didn’t match his appearance. He had a head of chocolate brown hair that was combed neatly to the back with a side parting, and his eyes were a dark, liquid black. His cologne was strong in the air to my sensitive vampire nose, but he smelled of something else too. Power. Money.
Charlene elbowed me when she saw me staring. I couldn’t help it.
When Donald smiled, I noticed his teeth were blunt. No fangs. He wasn’t a vampire. I wondered what kind of creature he was. His size suggested he shifted into something big. And his eyes told me it was wild. This man was a predator.
Just as I thought it, his eyes locked onto mine as if he’d read my mind. His gaze pierced into my soul, and I felt raw and vulnerable. I forced my eyes away, and I knew I’d given in to the power play. I’d admitted him dominant. In the world where we were all half-animal, there was a code traveling in undercurrents. I’d torn my eyes away. I’d accepted his authority over me.
Definitely a predator.
I’d grown up in a neighborhood that ranked us at the bottom of the social food chain. Lashan may have had all that money, but I still didn’t have the confidence to challenge someone for dominance. I was a woman. I was a vampire. There were a lot of creatures out there much stronger than me.
The meeting adjourned. Charlene and I waited for the others to filter out of the office before we walked to the door.
“Oh my God,” I breathed.
“I know, right?” she answered. She knew I meant Donald Crowe. “He’s a force of nature, if I’ve ever seen one. And Ring travels in big circles. I’ve seen a couple.”
She slipped through the glass door and down the hall to Ring’s office. He would need her for his morning coffee and bagel. I dropped a file. When I picked it up, and straightened myself up, I was chest to chest with Donald Crowe.
His presence took my breath away. His dark eyes bore into mine, and it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
“Excuse me,” I said and my voice sounded much thinner. I forced my eyes away from his. I didn’t want him to think this was a challenge.
The human world, which we worked in, was a strange place for our animal behavior to exist.
Donald didn’t move. Instead he leaned in closer to me, closed his eyes, and breathed in. It was as if he smelled my scent. It made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t available.
“I have a mate,” I whispered. Lashan was protective. If he knew I spent a lot of my time in rooms full of males without him around to claim me, he would be livid. This would send him right over the edge.
“You’re not wearing a ring,” he said, his voice so deep it was almost a growl.
I couldn’t answer him. Not because I didn’t know how to explain why I didn’t, but because there was something about him that was ridiculously attractive. I didn’t want to step away from him, or leave the room behind with him in it. My skin suddenly burned with a yearning for him to touch me.
I realized that he had the power to do that to me. Some shifters had the ability to use magic beyond changing appearance. And Donald had it bad.
“Please,” I said again, my eyes on the ground.
“I like you like this,” he said. That riled me up.
“I’m a vampire,” I said, snapping my eyes to his and locking them. I wouldn’t challenge him, but this was about my rights. “I don’t submit to anyone. Only… my mate.” I didn’t know why it was so hard to say the last bit. Because the truth was that I didn’t even submit to him. He didn’t demand it anymore, which made it easier for me not to. But if he did, I’d fight it.
“I didn’t mean submissive,” he said. His glaze slid over me, and it felt like he was physically touching me everywhere his eyes rested. My breath caught in my throat. “I meant the ache you have burning inside of you.”
I took a step back.
“What do you know? You don’t know me.”
He only looked at me, his eyes smiling even when his mouth didn’t. I wished he would reach out and touch me. But he didn’t, and I scolded myself for being like a love-struck teenager. Instead he walked away. I was left in the board room, unbalanced, disheveled, and wondering what the hell was wrong with me.
2
It took half a day for the sensation to finally leave my body. I felt like a live wire. I struggled to focus on my work, and the day rolled by in a jagged line. By three I was only halfway with the deadline memos that I had to get out to the board. I knew I had to finish it up, but I had to get home if I wanted to be there before Lashan. I couldn’t afford being late.
I knocked on the door that led to Mr. Ring’s office. Charlene beckoned me in. The office was divided up so she had an area that she could call her own, and it doubled as a waiting are for his clients.
“I have to get going, and I’m not nearly finished with these,” I said. “I can’t get them out today.”
“Don’t stress about it, I’ll send a memo around that this will only reach the directors tomorrow.”
“You’re a star,” I said, giving her a quick hug.
When I walked out the front door into the crisp early morning, I breathed in deeply. The cold hair burned my lungs. I loved it. Here, away from the confines of my own home, was the one place I really felt like was free.
A strange sensation swallowed me before I saw him, and when he stepped onto the curb next to me I connected the dots.
“You’re leaving early,” he said to me. We both stared across the street in front of us. Somehow the fact that we weren’t facing each other made me feel like we were more equal than before.
“My hours are nine ‘til three,” I said, even though I didn’t have to justify myself.
“I didn’t pin you for the type that would leave mid-project.”
I frowned and glanced at him quickly before pulling my eyes away again. Mid-project?
“Are you referring to the memos?” I asked. He didn’t answer. I was angry immediately. Who the hell was he to tell me who I was and what I needed to do with my time? He wasn’t my boss. He wasn’t anyone’s boss. He was too new for that.
“I answer to Mr. Ring at the end of the day. I believe if there’s a problem he’ll address it.” Smooth. I was proud of myself for staying calm.
Donald stayed quiet next to me for a moment. I hoped I’d shut him up. Being in his presence was unnerving.